Shadow Apprentice
by bookworm4everlong
Summary: When Bianca died, she was reborn into the mortal world, but as a witch, enrolling into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. When the children of the Big Three, find her at Hogwarts, they enrol as well. But is there someone behind the scenes pulling the strings? (Used to be called Shadows of the Past, rewritten & reposted from my old account 18leepl2, cuz it got deleted)
1. Prologue

_Shadow Apprentice_

A girl stood on the edge of the Lethe. She was pretty, with strands of wavy black-brown hair framing her face. She wore scratched and torn silver clothes that looked as if they were made of moonlight itself, and in her hands, she clutched a silver moon, which she had picked up in a graveyard before she had died. Her eyes were dark brown, determined, as if made of steel itself.

"You can't control me!" She shouted into the abyss in front of her. "You want me to be reborn? Forget it! I'm not gonna do it if all you want to do is use me like a pawn!" She crossed her arms stubbornly, and turned on her heel, marching away back to the land of Elysium.

"_Are you so sure?"_ A hissing voice called. _"This might be your only chance to see your brother again…" _The girl stopped. _"You don't want to spend the rest of your life living in the Underworld, do you?" _

The girl's eyes flashed. "How dare you use my brother like that?" She hissed. "My brother is happy where he is! And I'm perfectly happy with where I am! My brother _deserves _to live his life in peace, after what he's been through!"

"_Are you so sure?" _The voice hissed. _"After all, you haven't seen him in a while…"_

"Stop trying to manipulate me!" The girl screamed, clutching her head. "Nico is perfectly fine where he is!" She clenched her fists. "I know him better than anyone! Better than our mother, father, and maybe even himself!" She pointed a shaking finger. "I've seen his dreams, I've seen his torment, and although I can't be physically there, I have been sending him messages, or at least trying to!"

The hissing voice chuckled. "_Trying? My dear, you know very well that just trying, is not enough." _The girl paled. "_You know that no matter how hard you try, you can never cover up the shadows of the past." _The girl paled even more, shaking uncontrollably. "_You know that no matter how hard you try, you can't undo your previous mistakes, or your death, or the fact that your brother is now alone in the world, fending for himself."_

"SHUT UP!" The girl screamed, as the tears ran freely down her face. "I KNOW WHAT I DID WRONG! THAT'S WHY I MADE UP FOR MY MISTAKES!"

The voice continued as if it hadn't heard. "_You also know that no one in the mortal world loves him, and yet you don't do anything about it, not even bothering to check on him. Yes, Bianca," _the voice paused, allowing what it said to sink in. "Your brother is alone, and here you are, standing around sulking, not even bothering to help him or advise him." The voice paused again, before hissing: "You're pathet-"

"ENOUGH!" Bianca screamed, sending masses of shadows fleeting across the cavern, sweeping the space of life. "I'll do it."

The owner of the voice seemed to smile at the silence that followed. _"Good. Now say the words."_

Bianca took a deep breath, reconsidering the options. Then she opened them. "I, Bianca, daughter of Hades, sister of the Ghost King, announce my return to the mortal world in my second chance."

She drew a dagger from her sleeve, cutting off her lock of hair, completing the ritual, before she freefell into the River Lethe, cleansing her of her memories.

The last thing she remembered was a laugh, before pain exploded across her mind, and she blacked out.

-0-0-0-0- **(A/N: Btw this is a line break)**

"Did she do it?" A scaly flickering voice hissed.

The same voice from before seemed to smile, as it's form solidified, into a woman wreathed with shadows. "Why, of course she did. The first step has been completed."

"She will be my Shadow Apprentice."


	2. Chapter 1

**Hi! I'm so sorry I haven't written in a few MONTHS, which is a lot of time. (So I am very sorry)Just to re-remind you, da story was originally called Shadows of the Past, and written by 18leepl2, which is me, since Fanfiction deleted my previous account. If you guys have any suggestions to how I should I write this, feel free to PM me! Till then, peace out! XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the plot.**

Chapter 1

Nico's POV

The shadows tightened around me, and I twirled my skull ring around my finger. The sound of the sparring practice above me pierced my ears, and I tightened my shadows, cocooning myself inside a dark shell. I sighed with relief. Finally, peace and qui-

"PERCY JACKSON!" A loud voice penetrated the layers of my shadow cocoon, straight into my ears, shattering my eardrums. I was so startled; I stumbled and fell on the floor, face-first.

I grumbled and cursed under my breath, cursing whomever it was for having such a big voice. I shrugged, forgiving him or her from the Fields of Punishment. The shadows retreated when I relaxed, and I felt the temperature drop against my will. Nothing abnormal, I thought when that strange thought nagged at me. I closed my eyes and relaxed again, tuning out of the howls of pain from above, allowing my soul to drift off into the distance. I felt my body crumple as my soul left it.

I called this trick my 'Soul Form', meaning no one could touch me as a soul. My body would remain where I left it, and to any one passing by, it would just seem like I had fallen asleep, although my body would be extremely vulnerable. The best thing about my 'Soul Form' is that I could still shadow travel very long distances and still use a bit of my powers.

My soul drifted off to somewhere across the Atlantic Ocean, some place called The Leaky Cauldron, which I had accidentally stumbled across when I had drifted off course to London. I found this very interesting, as the people there seemed to be hiding something behind a mysterious wall…

I drifted through the door of The Leaky Cauldron; and into the pub itself. It was shabby looking, filled with strange looking people in pointy hats and robes. It was as if they were wizards and witches from the medieval times. I drifted to the wall, (aka the source of my frustration) and placed my hand against it. I could feel souls within it, or maybe behind it, but no matter what, the wall wouldn't budge. I growled. I was so close to a breakthrough, but this stupid wall just won't co-operate.

"Cornelius, are you sure of this?" A snooty yet important voice interrupted my attempts to break through.

"Yes…" Another certain voice replied. "Yes I am Lucius." I itched with the temptation to lunge out and question them, but something told me that these people were important and the consequences of my temptation would be heavy. So, my soul floated into a dark corner, just in case they had super-human powers to see me.

"If Dumbledore continues this, I am afraid we may have to take some action." The 2nd voice continued.

"And Potter?"

"If he joins Dumbledore, I am afraid he will have to join Dumbledore in our plan."

The voices rounded the door, so I could see the speaker's faces. A pale white haired man spoke and I identified him as the first speaker. "But Cornelius "

"No Lucius." The plump man with the certain voice spoke loud and clear. "If this continues, it will have to happen." He tapped a couple bricks on the wall, as if it were a frequent occurrence. I snorted. Who thought mortals could be so daft? Then the bricks wriggled, and they magically rearranged themselves to form a doorway. I blinked. My jaw dropped open. The two stepped through the doorway, and into a brightly coloured street filled with strange people in strange clothes and wait… I rubbed my eyes again. Did I just see a street behind a magical wall that rearranged itself into a doorway?

I rubbed my eyes. I just didn't understand. A thousand questions buzzed in my mind, clouding my thoughts.

In a dreamlike trance, I drifted to the doorway, or whatever it was and hesitated as my instincts yelled at me to use my common sense and think before I moved another step. I shuddered. I hadn't felt like this the first time I had stepped foot into the roman camp. I steadied my nerves and calmed myself. My ghost form shifted uneasily before I took a deep breath, and stepped through the doorway.

Stepping through the doorway was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Although the very air I breathed seemed to emit a mysterious aura, there was something, a type of personal insurance that calmed me. Colourful banners streamed down the walls of the houses all around, cheerful voices whispered, and for once, there was no talk of world domination or demigod killing. I closed my eyes and relaxed, to enjoy the pleasant feeling of the sunlight shining down on my face.

I opened my eyes, and smiled. It wasn't a frequent occurrence, and it definitely wouldn't be, I promised myself. I looked around, though unsure about this… town, I was quite certain that it wasn't an enemy fort.

I set off down the street, and everywhere I went, I passed by people in funny clothing, using funny words and strangely, waving different types of sticks around the air. I snorted. Did these people honestly think they were the fairy godmother? Prancing around in fairy dresses, shouting Bibidi-Bobidi-Boo! At the thought of it I stifled a laugh.

"But Harry "

"No, Hermione." A couple of voices, the owners of the voices presumably to be the same age, or older than me, caught my eye. I drifted closer to them, and I saw the speaker's faces for the first time.

"Look," A jet-black haired boy in glasses with emerald green eyes spoke. "If Vol "

"Harry!" A ginger haired boy whispered urgently to Harry. "For the last time, DON'T SAY HIS NAME!"

"Right, sorry Ron." Harry apologized, he shook his head, and I saw a curiously cut scar on his forehead, looking like a lightning bolt. "If You-Know-Who strikes, you know about the Order, they will try to "

"That's enough Harry." The bushy haired brunette (Hermione?), stood up. "You need to be protected." She glanced backwards, to where I was drifting, her eyes narrowed, as if she could sense my presence. I stiffened, shrinking back into the shadows. Hermione turned back to her conversation and continued, her whisper lined with suspicion and doubt. "Let's go somewhere else."

They stood up from their seats and left, their black capes/towels billowing around them, leaving me staring at where they were, with questions buzzing around my head. How did she sense me?

I drifted into the thick crowd, following their path, making sure I kept a distance from them (especially Hermione, in case had the powers of telepathy/telekinesis).

The trio wove their way through the crowd, occasionally stopping to stare at shops. Ron pulled the others towards a window, where apparently, they were selling broomsticks. I stifled a chuckle imagining the tall lanky boy in an apron, sweeping. Hermione pulled them towards a store, where she skimmed through the pages of numerous books, most of which even I would have trouble lifting. Harry was surprisingly quiet, occasionally glancing back, as if he could sense that they were being followed. Apparently Hermione wasn't the only one with the telepathic/telekinesis sense.

Then something else caught my eye. A girl, with her dark brown hair braided to one side was strolling down the street with her back to me. A silver moon fastened in her hair glinted in the sunlight, though I was pretty sure it would be prettier in the moonlight. All thoughts of the trio were immediately forgotten. My eyes widened. Just then, she turned around, her braid swinging to one side, her dark locks framing her even darker eyes. My gasp was caught in my throat.

Bianca 'Di Angelo, my sister, had returned.

A rush of emotions flooded me, and I jolted awake, my eyes opening to the blue sky of Camp Half-Blood and Percy's face, which just happened to be above mine. I sat up so quickly that I nearly cracked my head against his.

"Dude," Percy whined, "What was -"

"She's back." I gasped. "She's back, she's back, she's back, she's back, she's ba-"

"Dude, slow down." Percy raised his hands up in surrender. "Who's bac-"

"She's back." I hissed in his face before burying my head in my hands. "She's back, she's back, she's back, she's ba-"

"Dude," Percy took me by the shoulders, and shook me lightly, snapping me out of my reverie. "Calm down. Who's back?"

I widened my eyes, before curling up into a ball. "She's back." I whispered.

"Bianca's back."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Bianca's POV**

Strange, I thought. As I turned around, I felt the strands of hair poking into my eyes. I thought I sensed something, a soul. Shrugging, I continued down the street. Let's see… There's still time, I thought as I stared at the list of things I had to get ready for the first semester. Pewter cauldron, check! Books… Check! Wand… Now where do I find that?

"Excuse me?" I turned to an elderly man with a long grey beard, half moon spectacles and a very crooked nose, which seemed to have been broken twice. "May you please tell me where I may acquire a wand?" I asked innocently.

The man smiled gently and murmured so softly that I had to crane my neck to hear what he was saying: "So you must be Bianca 'Di Angelo." I was surprised, and I said: "Well, yes I am." With a hint of doubt, I wondered how he knew me, after all, I was just ordinary Bianca 'Di Angelo.

"I am Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The school, which you will be going to in…" He checked his watch. "Precisely an hour and a half." He extended his hand to shake. As I did, I secretly wondered how he read my mind.

"Here's your ticket to the train." I stared down at it, checking the details carefully, scanning it. I stopped abruptly at the words: Platform 9&amp;3/4. "Um…" I pointed to the platform number. "What does that mean?" Dumbledore chuckled and explained: "In simple terms, to get to the platform, just walk straight into the wall between the platforms 9 and 10." Though I didn't understand, I nodded, trying to absorb what he was saying. Millions of questions buzzed around my head, but I decided it wouldn't be best to ask now.

"Now," he continued, jolting me out of my thoughts. "To answer your question, you may acquire a wand by Ollivander's, which is over there." He pointed to a shabby looking shop with faded lettering, plastered on the door. Compared to the other shops, it seemed meager and small. "I'm sure you'll find what you need in there." He gently patted my shoulder, then turned and walked away.

I stood there, rooted to the spot, unsure of what I was meant to say. How could the headmaster of the most major school in London, know me personally when there were thousands of other students, also attending it? Strange… I shrugged the thought away, and continued down the street to Ollivander's.

I sensed the presence of another being inside, a wizard of great knowledge. I shivered. How did I know that? I rubbed my arms to keep out the chills, as I stepped inside the shop. Immediately, I felt a pair of eyes trained on me.

"Good afternoon." The voice belonged to an old, with strange silver eyes and wild hair. "You must be Miss Di' Angelo." He shuffled forward unceremoniously. "Dumbledore told me of your coming." Though I knew that Dumbledore meant well, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance. Did he have to announce me to the whole entire wizarding world?

"Of course," The man continued, "You must acquire a wand from me, Ollivander's. Makers of Fine Wands since 382bc." He smiled, though his smile was even more unnerving than his frown. He reached up into dust-laden shelves, and pulled up a dusty box.

"Here," He opened the box and handed a thin strip of wood to me. It was delicately carved, and when I took it, I felt a shock run through my arm. "Well," He gestured, "Give it a wave!" As soon as I did, I felt a ripple of cold energy run through my arm.

Mr. Ollivander widened his eyes as he snatched it away. He rummaged through the shelves and delved through the bottom the drawers. He pulled out another wand, this time a shiny piece of mahogany that looked exceedingly expensive. He handed it to me expectantly, and I gave it a wave. The vase holding a bouquet of wilted flowers shattered. Mr. Ollivander immediately snatched it away, and replaced it with a birch wand, that looked more like a branch. The moment I touched it, the wand snapped in half. Mr. Ollivander gathered up the pieces and replaced it with another wand, a one with golden markings. That one blew up a bookshelf. He immediately replaced that one for a piece of curved, elegant looking wand.

After trying 261 wands later, I had grown very tired of trying out wands, blowing up stuff, and basically repeating the same steps for the 262th time. After wand number 262 shattered the windows, Mr. Ollivander pulled out an exceedingly dusty wand from the cobweb filled box and handed it to me, with slight hesitation. His hands shook as I took the wand from him and at once, sudden warmth filled my fingers. It spread from my arm to the rest of me, and I felt myself glowing in a silver aura. I raised it above my head, and I brought my hand down, feeling silver energy shoot out from the wand, filling the room with a silver aura, basking us in moonlight. I twisted my fingers, and immediately, the silver glow died, and the room darkened. Shadows of all sorts peeled themselves off the walls, swirling in an orderly fashion, before dissipating one by one.

I smiled, unaware of Ollivander's horrified stare. The stream of energy stopped gradually and I gasped. I turned to Ollivander and asked: "Was that… good?"

"Well… Yes." He sounded quite reluctant to say that. I sighed in relief at his words. That meant I didn't need to try out any more wands.

"But Ms. Di'Angelo," Mr. Ollivander sounded hesitant as he picked up the money I had thrown across the counter hastily. "Be very careful which path you take. The wand that I have given you is very special. The core has been made from the shadow of a hellhound. An ingredient that nearly cost me my life." He ran his fingers over his calloused hands and took a deep breath before he continued. "I forged this wand from Black Iron, also known as Stygian Iron, a material so rare that you can only find it in the depths of Hell. Not even He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named could control this wand."

"Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" I interrupted, twirling the wand absent-mindedly.

"You do not know?" Mr. Ollivander's eyes were as wider than saucers. "You do not know of the Dark Lord?"

"Erm…" I had a feeling I was missing out on something here. "No?"

"No?" Mr. Ollivander's eyes bulged out of his sockets. "You do not know of the Dark Lord who almost wiped out the entire population of wizards many years ago?"

"Erm…" I didn't know what to say, although I did know that I was late for the train. "Of course I do!" I feigned a smile and smacked my forehead dramatically. "Sorry, I was thinking about someone else." I pretended to check my watch, before gasping dramatically. "Oh! It seems I am late for my train!" I hastily stuffed my wand into my pocket. "Bye!" I sprinted out the doorway and down the street.

I raced towards King's Cross Station, fighting off the chills before reaching the platforms 9 and 10, in record timing. I remembered what Dumbledore had said, and I ran straight towards the brick wall, which was heading towards me. (Now that I look back on it, I feel pretty stupid for doing something like that) I felt something dark envelope me as I ran straight to it, closed my eyes and waited for the crash, but it never came. The darkness retreated as I entered into a tightly packed station filled with cheery children and waving parents.

I made my way through the crowd, and pushed myself up onto the scarlet train as it left. I put down my luggage and walked through the carriages, staring in wonder at the people around me, sitting on the plushy seats. I passed by quite a few peculiar people, including a stick-thin white haired boy, surrounded by a throng of boys that looked as bulky as gorillas.

I rolled my eyes as I passed by them. They didn't look friendly, and I could tell the white haired boy was definitely someone in too deep in something he shouldn't be. He whispered something, probably something that I wouldn't like to hear, to his throng of 'bodyguards'. I could sense uneasiness drifting from them as I walked past them, and I shot them a warning glance, which sent them the message: If you mess with me, you will wish you were never born.

Most of the carriages were already full, so I pushed open the door of the only carriage with an empty seat. Inside, a jet-black haired boy, wearing glasses over emerald green eyes sat. On his forehead was a curiously cut scar. Next to him sat a fair-haired girl and a round-faced boy, around him sat his other friends.

"Can I sit here? All the other carriages are full."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Harry's POV**

I sat down onto the plush seats of the Hogwarts Express, already gloomy due to the fact that Ron and Hermione weren't here with me.

I risked a glance over at the blonde haired girl Luna Lovegood, who was still holding her magazine upside down. She stared back at me, and I was ever so thankful when Ginny asked: "Have a good summer Luna?"

"Yes," said Luna dreamily, without taking her eyes off me. "Yes, it was quite enjoyable, you know. You're Harry Potter," she added.

"I know I am." I said tiredly, and the conversation ensued. It was quite boring until Neville decided to demonstrate the 'defense mechanism' of the Mimbulus Mimbletonia.

By that time, I was so embarrassed, I just wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. To make matters worse, Ron and Hermione didn't return to the carriage until an hour later, and when they did, they only brought bad news.

"Guess who's the Slytherin prefect?" Ron said with a mouthful of chocolate.

"Malfoy," I replied at once, certain my worst fear would be confirmed.

"Course," said Ron bitterly, stuffing the rest of the chocolate into his mouth and taking another.

"And that complete cow Pansy Parkinson," said Hermione viciously. "How she got to be a prefect when she's thicker than a concussed troll…"

"Excuse me?" A voice piped up from the door. Everyone in the carriage swiveled round to face her. "Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full." The owner of the voice was a girl, presumably the same age as I was, with dark hair in a braid and a silver crescent moon pinned in her hair.

"Sure you can!" Hermione replied, beaming at her, falsely cheery. The girl stayed emotionless, although she "If you don't want me here, it's fine…" Her dark eyes were piercing, and I swear, they could stare straight into your soul.

"No, it's fine." I insisted, budging up to make a space for her. The girl smiled softly, but the smile never got to her eyes. She sat down next to me, and all eyes were trained on her as she made her introduction.

"I'm Bianca 'Di Angelo, and this is my first year at Hogwarts, though I will be entering as a fifth-year. I'm a half-blood, but I was raised by muggles of sorts." Her expression was calm, and her posture betrayed nothing.

I could tell the rest of my friends also felt uneasy around her.

"Hi!" I started nervously, determined to break the ice. "I'm Harry Potter, as you know…" Bianca shook her head slightly, indicating that she _didn't _know.

"You don't know who he is?" Apparently Hermione had seen the slight shake of her head. "But he's the Boy-Who-Lived! The one who defeated You-Know-Wh-"

"It's alright Hermione, it makes a change to have someone not know who I am." I cut her off. "Anyways, I'm Harry Potter," I smiled and stuck out my hand for her to shake, which she complied with." And these are my friends Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna and Ginny." I gestured to each of them in turn.

Bianca smiled. "Nice to meet you! I'm looking forwar-"

She was cut off by the sound of the sound of the carriage door opening. Immediately, I got up, whirled round to see Malfoy and his cronies getting into the carriage. "What?" I said aggressively before he could even open his mouth.

"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you a detention," drawled Malfoy, whose sleek blond hair and pointed chin were just like his father's. "You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."

"Yeah," said Harry, "but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone." Bianca sniggered, and that drew the attention of Malfoy. "Oh," He hissed, "So you think that's funny, mudblood?" Bianca's eyes glinted.

"Oh really? Mudblood?" She stared back unflinchingly. "Are you sure that your blood is really that pure?"

Malfoy snorted. Obviously, he was not used to being challenged like that. "Pft, as if your blood could even be compared with mine." He stuck his nose in the air. "As you see, my family has been a pure-blooded family for many genera-"

"Oh just shut up will you?" Bianca rolled her eyes.

Malfoy looked as if he had just been punched. He quickly regained his composure and gestured to Crabbe and Goyle, who cracked their knuckles menacingly. I gulped. This was about to get _very _messy. I leapt forward to restrain Bianca.

"Bianca, I don't think this is a good ide-"

"Harry." Hermione grabbed my shoulder, her face unnaturally pale. "I think you should let Bianca deal with this."

I frowned, and turned to her. "What do you mean?"

Hermione said nothing, and I took that as my cue, to turn back towards the scene of the action.

At first glance, there wasn't much to note. But, then my eyes adjusted, and everything seemed to slow down. It was as if I was seeing a different layer of the world, a different realm, and I realized, that this was the realm of shadow and darkness.

The room dimmed, and small strands of shadows peeled themselves off the walls, slithering across the room, creating a spider-web like illusion, encasing us all inside. And right in the center of the web stood Bianca.

"Still so confident in your lackeys, idiot?" She stood, with the strands of darkness tangled in her hand. "You don't know the meaning of _pure_." Malfoy and his cronies paled dramatically. "So before you go around reprimanding others for not being _pure_," She hissed, curling her fingers in a fist, ready to strike. "Take a look at yourself first."

I leapt forward to restrain her. "Bianca! That's enough!" I hooked my arms underneath hers to prevent her from charging forward and punching Malfoy. Not that I would've minded her doing so. "Don't do anything rash!" Although I was pretty strong for someone my age, I struggled to hold her back. "Guys! Help!"

Ron immediately snapped to attention and helped to restrain Bianca. "Bianca! Seriously, you've done enough! Stop it!"

Malfoy took this opportunity to make a break for it. Bianca watched him leave with hawk-like eyes, before calming down when the cabin door finally slammed shut behind his terrified form.

Ron and me let out a sigh of relief as Bianca relaxed.

"Bloody hell, Bianca!" Ron grunted, flopping onto the seat. "You didn't have to go berserk, you know?"

Bianca had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry about that. I have… anger issues."

"Understatement of the year…" Ron grumbled.

The rest of the train ride passed in an uncomfortable silence. I could tell that none of my friends felt comfortable around Bianca, and from Hermione's expression, I could also tell that the magic she used was very dangerous, perhaps even illegal.

Just who was Bianca, and just how powerful was she?


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Third Person POV**

"What?" Percy asked for the fifth time that minute. "What do you mean Bianca's back?"

Nico face-palmed. "Don't you understand?" He asked exasperatedly. "I just _saw_ Bianca."

Percy stared blankly at him. "I thought she died?"

Nico threw his hands up in exasperation. "Di Immortales! How stupid can you be?" He prodded Percy in the chest. "Bianca died, but was reborn, do you get that?"

Percy nodded slowly.

"So, I just saw the reincarnated her somewhere else, so the point I am making is that I will be going to find her. 'Kay?" Nico sighed in frustration.

"Oh!" Percy scratched his head sheepishly. "So that's what you meant…" Then he looked at Nico, his smile slowly fading. "But no, that's not okay."

Nico looked shocked. "Why not? Of all people I wanted to ask, I would've thought that you would support my decisio-"

"I'm coming with you."

Nico's jaw dropped. "What? No! You can't c-"

"And why not?"

"C-cuz this is my task, not yours! The Giant War almost killed you Percy, and-"

"Nico." He cut him off. "I'm fine. Besides," Percy looked wistfully at him. "I would like to see Bianca again."

That shut Nico up, as they slowly trudged back up to the Big House.

Nico's mind weighed the pros and cons of the situation.

Pros: More waterpower

: One more skilled fighter

: A loyal friend who would watch your back

: Free water-based Mythomagic figurines from Poseidon?

Cons: More weight to shadow-travel

: One more very hungry demigod

: A cookie monster

: Free tickets to dad's realm (due to the many monsters that have sworn revenge against him)

Nico sighed in defeat, his brain overloading. "Alright then." Percy grinned. "I'll talk to Chiron about it. Maybe Rachel has a prophecy about it or something."

The journey continued on in silence. That was, until Percy decided to break it. "Hey, did you know, the hunters are coming today?"

"Mm-hmm." Nico nodded nonchalantly.

"I hope they don't kick our asses this time." Percy rubbed his head. "Sheesh, won't they let us win just this once?"

"Nope." Nico answered, popping his 'p'.

"Man, I just wish we could whoop their sorry asses!" Percy groaned. "But dude," He nudged Nico. "Can't you just shadow-travel there, grab the flag or something? Or maybe you could summon skeletons!" Percy continued, starting to get excited. "Or maybe you could tie all the Hunters up with your shadows, or you could make a disco ball so they could be distracte-"

"Aaaaand, I need to see the Chiron now." Nico hurried, in a haste to escape from Percy and his crazy plans. "Bye!"

"Hey, wait!" Percy called after his retreating form. "I haven't even told you about the plan where you pretend to be a stripper!"

-0-0-0-

Chiron sighed, as Thalia drove the flag into the ground, wishing that this wasn't the 57th game that the Hunters had won against the campers. He ran a hand down his face wearily, before announcing that the game had officially ended, and the Hunters had won… again.

A tide of silver cheered, whereas the orange and purple groaned, before all of the teens wearily trudged back to their respective cabins.

Thalia smirked, as she watched a battered Percy leaning on an exasperated Annabeth.

"Hey Annie!" Thalia smiled cheekily. "How's Seaweed Brain?"

"Heavier than he looks." Annabeth grunted, as she shifted her weight. "A lot heavier."

"Chocolate chip cookies…" Percy moaned, flopping uselessly onto the ground. Thalia laughed.

"Well, good luck with that Annie!" With a cheery wave, she left Annabeth to her misery.

"So, you're not enjoying the taste of victory?" A familiar voice drawled.

Her head twisted around to the sound of the voice. "How do know I'm not, little brother?" She asked, offended. "I might be savoring it in a different way." Thalia stood, her hands on her hips.

Jason snorted. "Whatever." He rolled his eyes. "But I need to show you something." His tone became serious, unlike the previous light-hearted one. He turned away and trudged into the shadows, expecting Thalia to follow.

Surprised by his sudden change in tone, she tagged along, though slightly suspicious. Jason stopped at the edge of the river, his form in the moonlight was tense, wound up like a spring.

"What is it?" Thalia asked cautiously. "Jason?" She stepped forward carefully. "This isn't about the game is it?" She shrugged even though he couldn't see her. "Cuz, if it is, you know I did what I had to." Jason gave no response, standing in stony silence. Thalia shifted her weight around uncomfortably, not knowing what to say, after all, Jason never acted like this. "Well…" She backed away, feeling tenser with every passing moment. "I guess I'll-"

"No." Jason growled, but the voice wasn't his. "Daughter of Zeus," he turned to face her, and she barely stifled the gasp that escaped her lips. His ice blue eyes, normally filled with passion, were stone cold and pitch black. Thalia watched as his pupils dilated, expanding, until none of the whites could be seen. His face paled, highlighted with thin black lines, bulging from his pale, white face, turning his lips black.

The dark orbs absorbed the moonlight, imprisoned within the dark confines in his eyes. She staggered back, horrified at what her brother had become. He stood there, basking in the moonlight, before he howled, arching his back, his fingers clawing at his body, which was soon covered in long hairs. His rough, calloused hands lengthened into claws, each 4 inches long and razor sharp. A werewolf.

Thalia felt her breath catch in her throat; after all, if your little brother gets turned into a man-killing monster, you get pretty worried. Instinctively, she reached for an arrow, and cursed, remembering she had dropped them during the game. All she could do was watch as her brother changed, or whoever or whatever he was now. It howled; all trace of humanity gone. Thalia silently got to a crouching position, knowing that they had superhuman senses, and could hear a pin drop, even if a tank came rolling through.

Thalia put her weight onto her hands, which was a big mistake. A twig snapped, a harsh brittle sound that bounced right off the banks of the river. The werewolf's head whipped right round; it's eyes boring straight into hers. She cursed and ran.

-0-0-0-

The branches from the trees cut her face as she sprinted headlong into the barrier of bracken. Thalia heard a growl behind her, and felt a rush of wind brush past her face. She realized the monster had just clawed at where she had been standing a few seconds ago.

Her survival instincts kicked in: run faster or be mince meat.

Thalia ducked, as the next swipe came a bit closer to her head than intended. She knew she couldn't keep this up forever, and sooner or later, she would slow down, hopefully after she had gotten to safety. But until then-

"Oomph!" Thalia grunted as she was shunted into a ditch a few meters down. Arms flailing, she curled herself into a ball, rolled and hit the ground running. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. The breath was knocked out of her as the werewolf leapt gracefully into the ditch, landing on top of her, pinning her to the ground.

Thalia felt the harsh breathing of her ex-brother on her cheek, and an angry snarl. She gathered her courage and looked straight into its eyes. It bared its teeth, ready to lunge at her throat. Thalia closed her eyes, willing darkness to take over, to make the end quick. But it never came.

There was a sickening noise, and Thalia felt a blade graze her stomach. She felt a huge weight lift off her, and was hauled up to my feet roughly by none other than… Nico. She raised both eyebrows in surprise whilst she dusted herself off. "I thought you were-"

"Shhhhhh…" Nico put a finger to his lips, glaring at me. Thalia pursed her lips, biting back a retort. She gave him her best 'Give me an explanation or else' look, and he replied with 'Later'. His body tensed, as if expecting an attack again. Urgently, he held out his arm, gesturing for her take it. She sighed and grasped his hand tightly, and as the shadows enveloped them, Thalia briefly wondered what she had got herself into.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 9

**Percy's POV**

You could imagine I wasn't very happy when I was dragged out of my bed, still sleeping, and out into the chilly cold night air. To make matters even worse, Nico found it necessary to pour a bucket of cold water on me. Though I remained dry, I still felt the numbing cold and the impact when the water first hit. My mind was jarred out of the fluffy unicorn shaped clouds of Dreamland- ahem; I meant the peace of mind at rest.

Instantly, my hand shot to where Riptide sat in my pocket, but my hand caught on nothing. Alarmed, I felt the rest of me dissolve into shadows, my form disappearing, into nothing, before it collapsed in itself. I materialized in a rather unfashionable manner, dropping to the ground, last night's dinner regurgitated. In simpler terms, I _hate_ Shadowtravelling.

Thalia didn't look much better when she dropped in on us; there were a few bloody gashes, staining her silver clothing. Her face was scratched badly, but ambrosia could cure that. Her face was drained of colour, and covered in a sheen of sweat. Though I was only half awake, I clambered over to Thalia and Nico, both of which looked ready to drop, but I wasn't going to allow them, especially Nico, off the hook so easily.

"Alright." I stood up and took in the bitter stench of the surroundings. We seemed to be in an underground sewer, nothing like the one Jason had described during his quest to find Hera. "Where, why and what are we doing here." I glared at them both, but both looked too out of breath to actually say anything. Nico's head lolled forward, and I realized he had just passed out. Sighing, I propped them up against the wall, wishing I were anywhere but here.

Thalia sighed in relief when she dropped to the floor, relieving her aching feet, whereas Nico remained passed out. I felt weary and tired, desperately needed to catch a few Z's, but definitely not before I got some answers. I nudged Thalia, and jerked my head towards Nico, who was still passed out. Thalia immediately nodded.

A bubble of icy sewer water formed over Nico, growing bigger and bigger, until it reached the size of a full-grown satyr. I clenched my fist, and the restraints in the bubble gave way, resulting in one soaked, annoyed Nico. He spluttered, and coughed up water, which under any normal circumstances would've led me to pity him, but definitely not today.

I marched over, towering over Nico, glaring profusely. "Answers." I ordered. But Nico merely yawned, stretching and rubbing his eyes. "Do you know how tiring it is to Shadowtravel two, not counting me, demigods of the Big Three across continents?" He turned to glare at us, a feeble attempt at that. "And what do I get?" He pointed at me accusingly. "A bucket of cold _sewer _water straight in my face!"

I shrugged. Nico's cheeks flushed, from anger or my response. His jaw clenched, giving us the super deluxe edition death glares. Thalia sighed, obviously still miffed about whatever had happened with them.

"Fine, sorry Nico." (Nico smirked slightly in approval) "But you can't just drag us out here, to God knows where, in the middle of the night with no explanation." Thalia raised her arms above her head exasperatedly. "Honestly." She glared at Nico. "I don't know about Kelp Head," she gestured to me. "But I need answers."

Sighing, Nico explained, cutting to the chase: "I had to get you two out, the camp wasn't safe, from monsters that we have no knowledge of." At this Thalia paled.

"You mean Jason somehow got turned into a monster?"

"No, that wasn't Jason."

"Then who or what was it?" Thalia frowned.

"It was a werewolf, hidden by a type of dark magic I'm unfamiliar with." Nico frowned. "That means it wasn't Necromancy, Umbrakinesis or Erebokinesis."

"Whoa, whoa. Time out." I held up my hands in surrender. "What exactly are you talking about? Umbrellakillesis? And what's this about Jason?"

Nico sighed then explained what had happened to Thalia, starting with how Jason got Thalia alone unarmed. I felt uneasy, as 'Jason' changed, remembering a few past experiences with werewolves. I grew tense when they got to the chase and how the wolf had managed to pin Thalia down, before relaxing as Nico killed the wolf.

"Oh." Was all I managed to say. "So on with the explanation then."

"Okay." Nico took a deep breath, as if this was taking up a lot of his energy. "After the meeting, I went to see Rachel. She was in the Big House as usual, painting, but something was different. Her eyes were glazed over, as if she was painting from what she was seeing in a vision. I looked over her shoulder to see what it was, and…" Nico's voice trailed off, averting his eyes. "It was really weird. I saw us, standing with people holding sticks, which shot out beams of light, fighting this bald white guy, with no nose, wearing red contacts and desperately needing a dentist There was a beautiful castle behind us, littered with bodies wearing black towels. Standing next to us were three people, about the same age as us. One was a redhead, another a brunette, there was another guy with glasses and eyes like yours Percy, except his was more of an emerald green. He had a strange cut on his forehead like lightning, and it looked odd."

Nico's eyes bored into ours. "That wasn't the strangest bit though. I asked Rachel where she saw it but she didn't reply. I shook her shoulder lightly, to get her out of her trance. But, then she grabbed my hand on her shoulder and squeezed. Not the reassuring type, but the I-will-kill-you-slowly-and-hear-you-scream type."

Thalia and me exchanged worried looks. We turned back to Nico who continued ranting. "Her eyes… they weren't only glazed over, but milky white. Then she rose from where she was sitting, and she said:

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... _

_ Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, _

_But he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... _

_And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... _

_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."_

Nico screwed his eyes shut in concentration, trying to remember the whole prophecy. "Then she collapsed. I could literally feel her life source draining out." Thalia and me exchanged another set of worried looks. "I didn't understand what she said. So I went closer, carefully, just in case she went crazy again. I walked over to her, and that's when the Oracle of Delphi decided to go berserk… again."

Rachel stiffened, and her body went rigid. She sat up straight jerkily, nearly giving me a heart attack. I jerked backwards, and she opened her eyes, which were glowing green."

_ "Approach Seeker, Ask. _The Oracle's voice echoed in my head," Nico clutched his head tightly. "And instantly, I got a serious case of migraines, feeling as though a Minotaur was pounding on my head."

"What was that other prophecy about?" I asked the Oracle." Nico sighed as he spoke. "And how is that related to Bianca?" Somehow, I remembered why I was there in the first place."

More green mist spilled out, engulfing the both of us in green mist. Then out of nowhere, a voice said:"

"_Land of Magic lives and breathes,_

_To put a stop to the Dark Lord's deeds,_

_Children of Three, journey east,_

_To see the one returned from sleep."_

I frowned at what the Oracle was saying, luckily, the lines somehow stuck in my head."

"_Death and Anger – hand in hand,_

_Love and Secrets can they withstand?_

_Even the greatest will have to fall,_

_Traitor or Hero, better than all?"_

This was getting a bit too much, expecting the Mist to dissipate, my head spun out of control, the prophecy's words latching onto my brain, I heard the Oracle gasp as the next words left her lips, screaming them as if they were a curse."

"_Child of darkness's final breath,_

_Securing a place for endless death,_

_The Boy who Lived 's final stand,_

_To live or die, by whose hand?"_

I drew my sword in the middle of the hysterics, and witnessed a few… disturbing visions." Nico shuddered, recalling the memory. "The first one was Thalia, running, probably running from the werewolf, and so I knew that I had to find you first." Thalia acknowledged this with a nod of her head. "Then I saw Percy, so I dragged you here." I scowled. "Then I saw me, tied to a chair in some gloomy place, surrounded by the people in Rachel's picture, plus Bianca." He frowned. "Then me and Thalia were sitting in this pink room." I sniggered. "Then… I was surrounded by a lot of souls." Thalia raised an eyebrow; after all, it wasn't surprising. Nico was always in the underworld.

"Then the boy with the extra soul and his friends, along with us and Bianca, were running, dodging streaks of light." Nico pinched the bridge of his nose, a gesture to relieve him from stress. "The scene faded, and I saw the boy with the extra soul stepping over a body… Bianca's." The boy choked back a sob. "Her eyes were closed, and it… it was awful." Nico squeezed his eyes shut, banishing the tears.

Thalia and I shared a look. We both had been there when Bianca had first died, and we both knew how that felt. I crouched down next to Nico, ruffling his hair, and for a moment, we were just ordinary mortals, comforting one another. Not the Savior of Olympus, the Lieutenant of Artemis or the Ghost King.

"So what now?" Thalia asked as l she looked up at me.

"Why are you looking at me? How am I supposed to know?!"


	7. Chapter 6

**Hey! Please R&amp;R! By the way, Bianca is going to be sorted in this chapter! Woohoo!**

** Chapter 7**

** Bianca's POV**

After I managed to get over the initial shock of having a talking hat on my head, I slipped my emotionless mask back on.

_Well hello there, didn't expect such an old student to try me on. _The hat chuckled, obviously amused.

_ Watch who you're calling old, _I bit back, scowling, ignoring the curious stares that were burning holes into me. I guess that was expected; after all, there aren't always exchange students from America, who are 4 years older than most first years, who argues with the sorting hat.

_A rather feisty one at that, _the hat said, _you need to control what you say, especially this year, with the Ministry running our lives, and didn't you hear what the headmaster said? _**(A/N I know, he says the speech after they eat, but lets just say he said it before. XD)**

I snorted mentally. The start of term speech had been particularly dull, no entry to the forbidden forest, the toad speaking, the stuff about me being an exchange student, blah blah blah… I rolled my eyes. _Duh, everyone did, whether they actually listened to it is another matter though._

_ Hmm, witty aren't you? _The hat remarked.

_ Well, yes. Thank you! _I retorted sarcastically.

_ That would prove you well as a Slytherin…_

_ Honestly? _I asked, my thoughts returning to what Hermione had said during the short carriage ride to Hogwarts.

"Slytherins are normally quick witted and cunning." She explained. "Most of them are pure-blooded, so they hate muggle-borns, like me." Hermione said miserably. I understood what she meant, being called filthy, was something I always had to live with, and guess what? I didn't like it. I smiled reassuringly at the girl, and that was how I met my first friend at Hogwarts.

_Hmm… Interesting… _The (annoying) voice of the hat echoed in my mind, somehow it had taken the trip down memory lane with me. _Befriending the Brightest Witch of her age immediately?_

_ Shut it hat, _I hissed (mentally).

_All right, very well, I'll 'shut it' as you said, as long as I look into your memories…_

_ What? No! _I retorted, shutting my mind off, denying it access. _You can't just barge into someone's mind!_

_ Technically I can, _the hat responded, obviously irritated. _It's my job. _With that, it delved into my memories, pushing itself deeper into my mind. Random memories were triggered, throwing my mind into complete disarray. Wham, I had just smiled at Hermione. Wham, I had just scared the crap out of Malfoy (I smirked). Wham, I had just gotten my wand. The hat stopped abruptly, stopping the stream of memories and I felt a sense of relief.

_ Hmm… Seems as if you've got a memory block inside your mind. _The hat announced, puzzled.

_Wait are you actually being helpful? _I retorted sarcastically. _"You're saying that my memories are blocked, and I never noticed anything."_

_ "Well yes." _The hat replied sounding even more surprised. _"Never mind I can fix it for you."_

_ "Wait what? No, no. I'm good, thanks. I'm fine. _I protested, but it was no use. I felt a searing pain in my mind, more painful than anything I had ever imagined. It was as if someone had cut open my mind, and stuffed a searing red-hot piece of iron into it. I opened my mouth to scream but no sound came out. Instinctively, my hands grasped the sides of the chair, willing myself to stay on. My eyes squeezed shut, trying to prevent the tears from cascading down my face.

The darkness made things even worse. All I saw were images of blood, death and more death. In my mind, I struggled desperately, breaking free of the darkness. It opened up into an open space, where teenagers, presumably older than me circled me protectively, and instinctively I knew they were my friends. One looked like a Persian princess, with a similar silver bow that I had. Another one was either wearing hairy pants, or had really hairy legs. A third looked a bit like Harry, with messy black hair and green eyes, except his was more of a sea green. The other one was a punk girl, who had spiky black hair and blue eyes. As I watched, a young boy, maybe 10, ran towards my friends. Even then, I knew he was different. His eyes were dark, which was the same colour of his hair. His skin was pale, reminding me slightly of Edward Cullen, without the sparkles (of course). There was a tinge of sadness in his eyes, and a hollowness that shouldn't belong in such a young boy's eyes.

As I watched, he reached forward, grasping my hand. He grinned, but I saw sadness behind it. He squeezed my hand protectively, and I returned the gesture. My lips then moved without me willing it to, forming the words of: _I'll be with you, forever. _I then reached forward and hugged the boy. _I'll protect you._

The image faded and the scene changed. I was walking through a desert, littered with bits of machinery. Though broken, they were still beautiful and deadly at the same time. My eyes caught on a small figurine discarded under a beautiful crescent bow, wrapped in a cape, giving the 'I'll-kill-you-if-I-could' look. I cautiously picked up the figure, and then pocketed it, hoping nothing would happen.

Right after the figure entered my pocket, a giant robot loomed over us, casting a long shadow over what had happened. Harry-look-alike screamed at me, but I couldn't hear anything. My mind was set. I charged towards the monster's foot, reaching it, I climbed in. In that instant, my vision turned black, the image fading away. I felt pain, ripping through my body. It was like being hit by lightning, again and again.

The sorting hat on my head screamed aloud, and it wasn't a pretty sound. Trust me, it sounds even worse when it's in you head. "What is this?" It screamed to the whole hall, it's hollow 'eyes' filled with horror. "How is it you're still alive?" The hat struggled on my head. "Get me off, now!" With shaking hands, I pried my fingers off the stool and reached up, pulling the hat off, but not before it wheezed: "Gryffindor, for staying sane after all that."

There was no applause, just shocked silence as I made my way to the red table. I felt many pairs of eyes trained on me, mostly filled with awe or shock. Some even looked suspicious. Perching on the edge of the bench next to Hermione (who smiled reassuringly), the whole table swiveled round to face me.

"Now!" Dumbledore clapped his hands to regain attention from the students. ""Welcome," he said, as if nothing had happened, but I did detect a tone of uncertainty in his voice. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" A few students clapped half-heartedly, but most were too focused on me, or the feast that had just magically appeared out of nowhere.

"Bloody hell!" Ron, who was sitting opposite to me, practically yelled. "What happened?" He stuffed his face with the food that had just appeared. "You must've seen something bloody horrible to make the Sorting Hat scream like that."

"Ronald!" Hermione scowled, "How can you be so insensitive?" She turned to me rolling her eyes. "Sorry." She smiled apologetically. I shrugged, before tucking into my plate of pork chops.

"But," Hermione continued, persistent, but caring. "Really, are you all right? I haven't seen anyone sit there for so long." I nodded into my food. "I'm fine." I replied. "The sorting hat just saw some things about my mother's death." I hastily made an excuse when I saw their shocked and dubious faces. "She was blown up by one of my father's rivals." The story slipped on my tongue, I wasn't sure how I knew, but I did.

"I'm sorry about that." This time, it was Harry who spoke. "I know how that feels." He lowered his gaze, submerged within the memory. I felt sympathy for him, knowing they probably died some horrific death. We spent the rest of the meal in awkward silence, shooting glances at each other whenever we thought no one was looking.

"So…" I said, breaking the tense silence. "School of Magic eh?" I laughed nervously, unsure of what to say. Hermione brightened, obviously relieved. "Well yes, Hogwarts has always been an extensive school for magic, one of the best in fact!"

She blabbered away, talking about the history, architecture and things I didn't understand at all. I did my best to look entertained, which just made me look pained. I noticed Harry and Ron stifling a laugh, and I shot them a glare, though I was more amused than angry. They immediately shut up.

I turned back to Hermione, who was blabbering away about one thing or the other. "…And the ceiling, I can't forget about that, it's been enchanted to look like the sky." She turned to me, her eyes gleaming. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."

Harry and Ron couldn't help it; they burst into fits of laughter, drawing the attention of everyone in Gryffindor. "Honestly, 'Mione," Ron chuckled, wiping a false tear from his eye. "Any normal person would've thought that you were trying to suffocate poor Bianca with too much info." The boys burst into another fit of laughter, causing Hermione to blush deeply, before burying her face in her food, which soon disappeared as quickly as it had come.

I smiled at the scene before me, envying their innocence as Ron shrieked when the food disappeared. Hermione sighed before slamming a large book (that looked more like a brick) onto him. Harry just sat there with an amused smile, watching absent-mindedly.

The hall suddenly quieted, and I realized Dumbledore was waiting to speak. "Now" Dumbledore started as soon as he received everyone's attention. "As everybody in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining strength. I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that your teachers might impose on you, however irksome you might find them-in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of bed after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or without the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others' safety." 

The headmaster looked around at his students warmly and appraisingly.

"But now," he said, "your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say good night. Pip pip!"

The hall slowly drained of people, and I followed Hermione and Ron, who were leading a bunch of first years to the dormitories.

"Ah… Ms. Di'Angelo, may I have a few words?" Dumbledore called. A few students shot me questioning looks, and some (A certain blonde idiot and his goon squad) even glared. I hurried over to Dumbledore, who along with the rest of the staff, were waiting, some impatiently (a certain sallow skinned teacher).

I stood in front of the teachers' table, where a couple of them were eyeing me appraisingly.

"She's the one?" A green robed witch, Mcgonagall, I think, asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?" The greasy haired teacher curled his lip. "She looks… a bit too young to me."

I snapped my head round to glare at him. "Young?" I whispered dangerously. "I'm older than all of you." I wasn't sure how I knew that, but something told me it was true, a fragment of my past. I huffed and crossed my arms in disdain.

The teachers, apparently not used to students treating them with disrespect, looked quite surprised. The pink toad, however, just smiled in a sickly sweet way.

"Young lady," She trilled (I growled), "here at Hogwarts, you must treat all your professors with respect, which means-"

"I don't give a damn." I retorted, my eyes boring into hers. "If you want my respect, you must earn it."

The teachers gasped as one. Dumbledore just looked mildly amused. "Perhaps we should continue this conversation elsewhere. _Privately." _He added when the toad rose from her seat. She opened her mouth to speak, but Dumbledore's tone made it clear there was no room for any arguments.

"Come Bianca."


	8. Chapter 7

** Hey! I just want to say that I know this story sucks a lot. And honestly, if you say: "I hate this story, it sucks." I really won't mind. Constructive criticism are appreciated in the reviews, so thanks to #Color O Life for setting a good example. Anyways… Happy Reading!**

Chapter 8

Harry's POV

No one had ever sat there for so long with the hat on, I thought as the crowd slowly trickled away. And I'm pretty sure what she told us isn't the truth. I watched Ron and Hermione lead a group of timid looking first-years to the dorms. I sighed banishing all previous thoughts, wishing I could be a prefect along with them.

"Ah, Ms. Di'Angelo, may I have a few words?" Dumbledore called. Bianca stiffened, trying her best not to show it. She turned and hurriedly made her way across the hall. Malfoy and his goons glared at her, but quickly turned away. I looked for Ron and Hermione but apparently they were already gone. I hesitated for a moment, should I follow them, or should I find out what Dumbledore wants to say?

I quickly made up my mind. I hurried across the hall, heading for the entrance, before stooping behind a large pillar, just outside the hall, but still within earshot of the conversation that was going on.

"She's the one?" A teacher (probably Professor Mcgonagall) asked.

"Yes." Dumbledore answered.

"She looks… a bit young to me." Snape sneered.

"Young?" This time it was a new voice, Bianca's. It was the exact voice she had used on Malfoy earlier, deadly. "I'm older than all of you."

"Young lady," Another voice trilled. I suspected it was that Umbridge woman. "Here at Hogwarts, you must treat all your professors with respect, which means-"

"I don't give a damn." Bianca retorted. I could imagine her now, in all her creepy glory, standing up to a teacher on the first day of school. "If you want my respect you have to earn it."

There was a loud gasp from the teachers, who apparently weren't used to students being so disrespectful (though I quite agreed with Bianca).

"Perhaps we should continue this conversation elsewhere. _Privately." _Dumbledore started. "Come Bianca."

My mind took a while to process what was happening, when it did, I panicked, desperately trying to find a dark corner to hide, knowing that Dumbledore and Bianca would be coming through soon.

When they did, there was no sound, in fact, if I hadn't seen them walk across the corridor, no one would've known they had even been there. I watched as Dumbledore reached the two griffins, before saying "Sherbet Lemon" (I presumed that was the password). Both of them immediately stepped onto the spiraling staircase, leading to Dumbledore's office.

I crept quietly towards the spiraling staircase, waiting for a few moments (Constant vigilance as Mad-Eye would say) before I whispered "Sherbet Lemon". I stepped on the staircase, praying I wouldn't be spotted. I reached the door leading to Dumbledore's office and I stopped, putting my ear to the door to hear what was going on.

"Ms. Di'Angelo-"

"Bianca, call me Bianca."

"Well, Bianca, before we start, would you like a Sherbet Lemon?"

"Start?"

"Yes, but would you like one?"

There was a moment's hesitation. "Yes please."

There was a crinkling of wrapping paper, which I presumed was Bianca unwrapping the Sherbet.

"Now you may be wondering what happened during that blank period within your mind."

"…Well yes."

"You see, before you were here, there was already a Dark Wizard, who cheated death, on the rise."

"Dark wizard sir?"

"Yes Bianca. A witch or wizard who practices the dark arts."

"But what does that have to do with me?"

"Ah, I'm getting to the point. A few months ago, a student witnessed the return of the Dark Wizard." I realized they were talking about me. "He-"

"I'm sorry Professor." Bianca interrupted. "But does that student happen to be Harry Potter?"

"Well, yes." Dumbledore sounded surprised, which was what I was feeling. "Why do you ask?"

"Because he so happens to be outside, listening in on our conversation."

-0-0-0-

A few minutes later, I was sitting inside Dumbledore's office, feeling rather embarrassed.

"Now, if Harry has decided to join us, shall we continue?"

Rather embarrassed, I asked: "Yes, but how did Bianca know I was there?"

Dumbledore replied with a twinkle in his eyes. "I'll come to that later. Now where was I?"

Ah, right. Voldemort has finally returned, and with him, a threat to all the worlds. Then, a few weeks after the Tri-Wizard tournament, there were reports of a mysterious figure, wrapped in shadows, solidifying on the streets. They were reports of a young girl, approximately 15, with dark hair and eyes." He turned to Bianca. "Those were reports of you, Bianca."

My mind was sent reeling. What did that mean? Only people who practiced the dark arts could control shadows, and the only people who practiced dark arts were dark wizards, more commonly known as Death Eaters. Did that mean Bianca was a death eater? I glanced at Bianca, whose gaze remained on Dumbledore.

"Then a few weeks ago, I received other reports of the same girl from the earlier reports, (that's you as well, Bianca) walking on the streets of Diagon Alley, with shadows trailing behind. Once again, many thought you were a death eater, which would explain the extraordinary senses, but I thought otherwise, and that's why you're allowed in Hogwarts." Dumbledore explained patiently, but it seemed as if he was focused on me rather than on Bianca. "Do you understand, Harry?" I nodded slowly.

"Good." The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes had finally gone out, and in his place, a weary old man stood, burdened by the passing of time. "Now, it is rather late, if you would please return to the dorms, where I'm sure Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger will be waiting for you."

I nodded slowly, before exiting the office, wondering what Dumbledore had to say to Bianca. I headed to the dormitories, where Ron and Hermione were waiting outside. Without saying a word, I climbed into dormitories, too tired to say anything.

Once inside, Hermione pelted me with questions. "Where did you go? We were so worried. Did you go eavesdropping again? Oh, Harry. I've told you too many times to keep your nose out of others' business. But since you've already done it, what did you hear?"

"Whoa, slow down Hermione." I sighed tiredly, running a hand through my hair, a bad habit I tended to have. "I got caught, so I didn't hear as much as I hoped to." Ron and Hermione looked incredulous, so I explained exactly what happened. They had the exact same reactions as I did.

"Does this mean that she's a Death Eater?" Ron questioned.

"She seems awfully nice…" Hermione trailed off.

"I don't think she is," I cut in. "Dumbledore trusts her, so I do too, at least for the moment." That signaled the end of the discussion, and we all trooped back to our respective dorms. I fell asleep in my robes, the moment my head touched the pillow.

But I forgot one thing, Dumbledore didn't tell me how Bianca knew I was there.

-0-0-0-

Bianca's POV

I wanted to laugh at Harry's expression. I really did, and I do have feelings, (in case you were wondering) just because people thought I am a cold sadistic bastard doesn't mean I am one. I held back my laughter, focusing my steely gaze on Dumbledore, who kept rambling on about one thing or another. About me trailed by shadows, using-apparition-that-wasn't-apparition, etc. For some strange reason, that didn't sound too weird to me.

Dumbledore even made me sound as if I were in debt to him. I immediately got the feeling that he was hiding something away. So when Harry left, I immediately turned to him, glaring. "You're not telling the full story, are you?" I cocked an eyebrow.

Dumbledore ignored the glares. "Yes, as a matter of fact." He strode to his desk. "I missed out most of the facts, but telling him that would've resulted in the fall of the wizard world." He reached a basin, filled with a clear liquid. He then produced a vial of silvery substance. "And yours."

He poured the vial into the silvery basin, and gestured for me to come over. "A few days ago, I received a message from my mother. You may know her well." He turned to me, his expression solemn. "Her name is Hecate." Right on cue, the thunder boomed, and my mind reeled. The world collapsed, and when I came to, I was standing on a plain, endless in all directions.

"Greetings, Bianca." A glamorous lady appeared in front of me. She was definitely beautiful, but she was also deathly pale. She wore a dark sleeveless gown, and her hair was tied back in a Greek style ponytail. She seemed regal and ageless, her voice smooth and velvety. "I see you have met my son."

"Son? You mean Dumbledore?" I asked incredulously. Dumbledore was what, 120? "How…" It wasn't possible. I grasped my head as a sharp pain shot through my mind; it was all I could do to prevent myself from screaming out loud. A few images squeezed through the pain, and I focused on those instead. One was of a cliff, where the same boy (Edward Cullen) who I had seen during the sorting. He clung to me desperately, and Harry-look-alike stood in front, wielding a… bronze sword?

"Enough." The woman waved her hands, and the pain shut off. "I see you are breaking through the barriers she set you. That is good." She smiled at me gently. "I hope to see you soon, Bianca, I hope you figure out who you are. In the meantime, I have blessed you with magic, so there's no need for you to worry about the lessons." She waved her hand and the plain disappeared. "Do try to remember who you are." Her voice echoed in my mind one last time, before I was once again in Dumbledore's office.

-0-0-0-

"Do you remember who you are then?" Dumbledore asked me gently as we stepped towards the Pensieve, as he called it. I shook my head, remembering what Hecate had said.

"Only bits and fragments."

"Well I hope this will help you remember." He gestured towards the Pensieve. "Just put your head in it. Literally." He smiled airily. I frowned, but did as I was told. Immediately I felt a rushing sensation, and when I opened my eyes, I was in a silvery tent, surrounded by my 'friends', the Persian princess, the Harry-look-alike and a young auburn headed girl, but 'Edward Cullen' was no where to be seen.

"And now there is one last decision to make." A young auburn haired girl turned to me, jolting me out of my thoughts. "Have you made up your mind, my girl?"

I hesitated, against my will. "I'm still thinking about it."

"Wait," Harry-look-alike said. "Thinking about what?"

"They… they've invited me to join the Hunt." (I said, even though I had no idea what I was talking about)

"What? But you can't! You have to come to Camp Half-Blood so Chiron can train you. It's the only way you can learn to survive." (Camp Half-Blood? What the heck did that mean?)

"It is _not_ the only way for a girl," The Persian princess said.

"Bianca, camp is cool!" Harry-look-alike protested. "It's got a pegasus stable and a sword-fighting arena and… I mean, what do you get by joining the Hunters?"

"To begin with," The Princess said, "immortality."

Harry-look-alike stared at her, then at the young girl. "She's kidding, right?"

"Zoe rarely kids about anything," The girl replied. "My Hunters follow me on my adventures. They are my maidservants, my companions, my sisters-in-arms. Once they swear loyalty to me, they are indeed immortal… unless they fall in battle, which is unlikely. Or break their oath."

"What oath?"

"To foreswear romantic love forever," The girl said. "To never grow up, never get married. To be a maiden eternally."

"Like you?"

The (supposed) goddess nodded.

"So you just go around the country recruiting half-bloods—"

"Not just half-bloods," Zoe interrupted. "Lady Artemis does not discriminate by birth. All who honor the goddess may join. Half-bloods, nymphs, mortals—"

"Which are you, then?"

Anger flashed in Zoe's eyes. "That is not thy concern, boy. The point is Bianca may join if she wishes. It is her choice."

"Bianca, this is crazy," Harry-look-alike said. "What about your brother? Nico can't be a Hunter." So 'Edward Cullen' was Nico.

"Certainly not," Artemis agreed. "He will go to camp. Unfortunately, that's the best boys can do."

"Hey!" The boy protested.

"You can see him from time to time," Artemis assured me. "But you will be free of responsibility. He will have the camp counselors to take care of him. And you will have a new family. Us."

"A new family," I repeated dreamily (huh?). "Free of responsibility."

"Bianca, you can't do this," Harry-look-alike said. "It's nuts."

I looked at Zoe. "Is it worth it?"

Zoe nodded. "It is."

"What do I have to do?"

"Say this," Zoe told her, " 'I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis.'"

"I… I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis."

"'I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt.'"

I repeated the lines. "That's it?"

Zoe nodded. "If Lady Artemis accepts thy pledge, then it is binding."

"I accept it," Artemis said.

The flames in the brazier brightened, casting a silver glow over the room. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes wide. "I feel… stronger."

"Welcome, sister," Zoe said.

"Remember your pledge," Artemis said. "It is now your life."

I felt a tugging sensation, and I was once again pulled out of the Pensieve. I grabbed onto something soft (which just so happened to be Dumbledore's sleeve) and took a deep breath.

"Do you understand better?" Dumbledore asked kindly.

"Y… Yes." I stuttered, my mind still reeling from the information that had just been given to me. "I think so."

I frowned. A strange thought clung to my mind, something Harry-look-alike had mentioned… He said I had a brother, who just so happened to be called Nico, who just so happened to be 'Edward Cullen', the pale younger boy who had clung to my hand.

Just then, the shadows solidified, rushing towards a corner, forming a humanoid shape. A pale boy with dark eyes and hair stepped out, wielding a nightmarish sword.

He growled, as his eyes scanned over the room, stopping by me. I narrowed my eyes.

"Hello. And I suppose you're my brother?"


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Nico's POV**

I breathed in the dark shadows, as I travelled to my destination, relaxing in it's cold embrace. The shadows dissipated, leaving me in a strange room, filled with strange silvery contraptions. I growled, scanning the room, willing the shadows to thicken around me, narrowing my eyes at an old man with a silvery white beard.

My heart stopped, as my eyes landed on the person next to him. She stepped forward, her eyes narrowed. "Hello. And I suppose you're my brother?"

I stepped back, breathless. "Bianca?"

"Nico?" She in turn stepped back, her eyes wide in surprise. She obviously didn't expect me to be her brother.

I then surprised myself by launching myself forward, tackling her in a bear hug. "I missed you so much!" I said into her shoulder, my words muffled. She patted my head. "Me too." She replied, though she sounded unsure. I smiled up at her, which was a rare occurrence. She smiled back, before she gasped suddenly, as if her breath was torn from her throat. She wrenched herself out of the hug - her knees giving way, hands at her head, eyes squeezed shut. She opened her mouth to scream, though no sound came out.

"Bianca!" Instinctively, I ran over to my sister, who still knelt on the floor, with tears streaming down her face. But as soon as I had gotten within 2 meters, I was pushed back by an invisible force field. I flipped backwards, steadying myself, getting ready for a second attempt. I snarled, grasping the hilt of my sword tighter, before charging towards Bianca again. This time, I wasn't thrown back, fried, diced or suffocated, as I had imagined. I ran over to my sister, whose breath was coming in shallow and inconsistent gulps.

"Bianca." I shook her shoulders, determined to see her open her eyes. "Bianca!" I practically screamed, hoping the room was soundproof. I turned to the old man with the silver beard, who was either a really good actor, or not surprised at all. "What did you do to my sister?" I growled, lifting my sword menacingly.

"There in no need to worry, Mr. Di'Angelo. Your sister is just experiencing a few… side effects of the Lethe water. Now, if you would care to sit down, I would explain everything from the beginning." He gestured to a seat that had magically appeared from nowhere.

I sat, though I didn't unsheathe my sword. I still didn't trust the old man, after all, he had mentioned 'Lethe water', which meant he was either suggesting another 'Lethe', or he actually knew about the river Lethe.

"My name is Professor Dumbledore," (I snickered) "Yes I know, a very strange name, but you will understand soon. Now, where to begin?" His eyes seemed to be a million miles away. "A long time ago, Hecate, and yes, I know about the gods," He added when he saw me grasp my sword even more tightly. "Because I myself am a demigod, a demigod of Hecate."

"Oh." I slumped back into my seat, casting a glance at Bianca, who was starting to stir. "Go on then."

"Hecate had 4 children, demigods. Each one was very powerful and talented. Their names were Godric Gryffindor, Helena Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. They founded this community, the world of witches and wizards, or in other words, the world of magic." Dumbledore paused, allowing me to take this all in. Sure, I had gotten over the fact there were roman demigods, but wizards?

"You mean that the people I saw behind the brick wall were witches and wizards?" I groaned.

"You got into Diagon Alley?" Dumbledore sounded surprised.

"Duh. I can get into almost anywhere." I rolled my eyes. "I'm a son of Hades."

"One of the Big Three?" Dumbledore sounded even more surprised. I instantly regretted saying anything.

"Yeah. On with the story?"

"Right, sorry." Dumbledore apologized. "So this world thrived, and grew, and at times, Hecate herself would bless some wizards who deserved it, such as Merlin himself. But when Hecate told the gods what she had done, the gods immediately sought to destroy the wizarding world. They saw it as a threat to their very existence. They sent demigods into this world, and tried to destroy it, but Hecate pleaded them to stop what they were doing, to see sense in what would happen if they continued. Athena, as the goddess of Wisdom understood what Hecate meant. And together they devised a compromised scheme. Hecate would be able to keep her world, but they would be separated from the demigods and the Olympians. Neither would be able to harm each other, unless the two sides decide to break the treaty.

But before the treaty was established, Hecate aided her people one last time. She foresaw that in the future, a dark wizard would arise, and threaten not only the existence of the wizarding world, but also the balance of the treaty. So she bore triplets, brothers, whom (under Hecate's request) acquired magical items from death himself, or Thanatos if you prefer. The first two brothers died early, murdered by their own arrogance and greed, the objects stolen and misused, much to Hecate's disappointment. The third however, lived to a ripe old age, and bore children, whom he passed the object down to. The hero, who is destined to defeat the dark wizard, is the direct descendant of the third brother, and therefore the owner of the third object.

Now, you might wonder what this has to do with you two." Dumbledore eyed Bianca and me. "Well, you see, during the summer, that dark wizard Hecate foresaw has arisen. The hero who was destined to defeat him needs protection, and that's where you and your sister come in. Hecate told me to tell you about your task, your task of keeping the boy-who-lived, the hero destined to defeat the dark lord, safe from anything that may harm you. In time he will know all of this, but for now, he cannot know of it. I trust you to keep it a secret." He winked. "Hecate has sent you here, to protect the boy-who-lived as she senses a greater force behind all of this, and you, as a child of the Big Three, were not safe where you were." He paused. "Are there any others with you?" He asked.

I pondered whether to tell him the truth. I didn't exactly trust him, but he was telling me answers to most of the questions I had. "I'm not alone." I answered, not giving him any more information than he needed to know.

He nodded, accepting the answer. "Very well. There is no need to bring them here, not yet, but you will need to contact them soon." He handed me a bag of drachmas. "You may need help with this task, if you accept it of course." He stared at me intently, his gaze pleading and calculating at the same time. I reclined back into the plushy chair, my mind going over the pros and cons of this task.

Pros

Relatively Safe

Comfy

Interesting

Not technically a quest

Food provided?

Secret, so no one can bother you during the task

Cons

Relatively Unsafe

Possibly Comfy

Mind-blowingly interesting

Not technically a task

Food not provided?

Secret, so no one can thank you when it's over!

I groaned. Why did this have to be so complicated?

"Fine." I snapped, agreeing to do this task.

-0-0-0-0-

Ron's POV

I stretched and awoke to the golden rays of sunlight filtering through the panes of glass in the window. I yawned loudly, before slowly climbing out of bed. It was the first day of school, when lessons started. I looked around the room, to see the beds empty, except for one. Harry was still slumbering peacefully away undisturbed. I sighed, making my way across the dorm to wake him up.

"Oi, time to wake up mate." I shook his shoulder. "It's already seven." Slowly, his eyes opened, and I sighed, before tromping to the toilet to change. I returned to find Harry already dressed and waiting.

We both entered the breakfast hall at the same time, where Hermione quickly ushered us into a seat. She was sitting next to Bianca, who seemed paler than yesterday, but happier.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione, I'd like to introduce you to my brother, who is also an exchange student. He's late, but only because he was delayed at the airport, but never mind that, he's here now." Bianca had a huge smile plastered on her face. "This is Nico, Nico Di'Angelo. Say hi Nico." Bianca gestured to a pale looking boy, with dark hair and eyes, wearing a permanent scowl. His eyes settled on Harry, and the corners of his mouth twitched. "Harry Potter, the Boy-who-Lived, am I correct?" Nico stated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah…" Harry sighed, probably wishing he wasn't that famous, I felt a tinge of envy, what I wouldn't give to be who he is.

"I understand, I get that a lot too, back at home." I wondered what he meant by that. Nico smiled, though it didn't seem genuine. He extended a hand to shake. "Nico Di'Angelo. Pleased to meet you."

"Harry Potter." Harry smiled, shaking his hand.

Di'Angelo then turned to Hermione.

"Hermione Granger, I presume?" He asked Hermione, who seemed very surprised.

"Yes, but how did you know me?"

"Dumbledore did tell me about the 'brightest witch of her age'." He quoted, before shaking her hand as well. He then turned to me, and for the first time, I looked him directly in the eye. They were literally black pools of darkness, hollow and devoid of hope. It seemed as if they could see directly into my soul.

"Ron Weasley? Loyal friend of Harry Potter?" He tilted his head, the exact same way Bianca did.

"Y…Yes." I stuttered.

"Pleasure to meet you, Harry is lucky to have a friend like you." He extended a hand to shake, which I reluctantly shook. They were ice cold, as if they belonged to a corpse. I immediately pulled away.

"Nico, come on, you've got to try these!" Bianca cut in, gesturing towards a pile of roasted potatoes, piling a few onto his plate. "They are AMAZING." Nico scowled. "You have to eat some, you can't be picky about what you eat." Bianca ordered, sounding very much like the older sister she was.

"I am not!" Nico huffed indignantly.

"Then eat." Bianca shoved his head into the food with a loud splat.

"Eeew." Nico mumbled through his food. "Gross."

"Ditto, mate." Harry sympathized. "Dudley used to do that to me."

"Well, at least he's gone now." I said, sighing.

"Tru-"

"Mr. Di'Angelo?" A stern voice called.

"Mmmm?" Nico's head was still in the food.

"Nico, you better get up now, McGonagall doesn't like people ignoring her." Hermione whispered.

"Fine." Nico sat upright, wiping the food from his face, before trooping to wherever McGonagall was.

"See you later, Nico! Remember to finish your breakfast! No excuses!" Bianca called.

"Oooh, look who got to babysit?" An unwelcome but familiar voice drawled. "What is it, death girl, your brother too lousy for your mommy?" Draco stood, his cronies cracking their knuckles. The shadows thickened ever so slightly.

"Piss off, Malfoy." I growled.

"Oooh, getting the Weasel to fight your battles, eh?" He taunted.

"As a matter of fact, Malfoy, you can see, by what I am saying now, I am fighting my own battles. I didn't 'get' Ron to fight my battles, as you assumed. He merely tried to step in out of his own accord, which I very much appreciate." She flashed a smile at me. "As for my 'mommy', she is dead, she was murdered by my uncle, who also tried to kill me and my brother." Bianca retorted, not even looking up from her food, even as the shadows solidified. "We were a threat that had grown so big that if we weren't killed, we could bring them, and their world to their demise. So, my brother isn't lousy, even if he doesn't exactly do his laundry himself. After all, he has the power to bring an entire world to its knees."

My jaw dropped open. There wasn't anyone as powerful as that, other than… Voldemort himself. Harry paled and Hermione eyes' were wider than saucers, they seemed to be thinking about the same thing.

"So, as Ron had so kindly suggested earlier, would you please _piss off_?" Bianca seemed more annoyed than I had ever seen her before. If she truly had power to destroy a whole world, I definitely didn't want to see it unleashed.

Malfoy evidently paled, and he rushed off, his cronies trailing after him. Bianca huffed, before turning back to her food. "Can you pass me the sausages?"

-0-0-0-0-

Nico sat on the chair, with the Sorting Hat on his head, his eyes brimming with anger. He seemed to be close to exploding in fury, another thing I didn't want to see. His fury then subsided (at least what I could tell from his expressions), to be replaced by a cocky smirk. He closed his eyes, still smirking as the Sorting Hat screamed.

I covered my ears, watching Bianca react to the screams. She seemed annoyed, going as far as to plucking the hat off his head. She handed the hat back to McGonagall, before seizing Nico by the ear, despite his complaints.

A heavy silence fell, as the Sorting Hat wheezed, it's brim opening wide to choke out one little word. "_Slytherin." _

Bianca face-palmed.


	10. Chapter 9

**Hi, back with another chapter! The story still sucks, but at least I'm slowly developing my writing style, and I am slowly getting better. Anyway, back to the story…**

** Chapter 10**

** Harry's POV**

_"The power to bring an entire world to its knees."_

Those words kept ringing in my head, as I started pulling off my robes in the dorms. The other boys were idly chatting, I vaguely remembered me asking Dean about his summer.

"It was OK,' chuckled Dean. 'Better than Seamus's, anyway, he was just telling me.' I pushed all thoughts away for the time being.

'Why, what happened, Seamus?' Neville asked as he placed his Mimbuius mimbletonia tenderly on his bedside table.

Seamus did not answer immediately; he was making rather a meal of ensuring that his poster of the Kenmare Kestrels Quidditch team was quite straight. Then he said, with his back still turned to me, 'Me mam didn't want me to come back.'

'What?' I paused in the act of pulling off my robes.

'She didn't want me to come back to Hogwarts.'

Seamus turned away from his poster and pulled his own pyjamas out of his trunk, still not looking at me.

'But - why?" I was astonished. I knew that Seamus's mother was a witch and could not understand, therefore, why she should have come over so Dursleyish.

Seamus did not answer until he had finished buttoning his pyjamas.

'Well,' he said in a measured voice, I suppose . . . because of you.'

What d'you mean?' I said quickly.

My heart was beating rather fast. I felt vaguely as though something was closing in on me.

Well,' said Seamus again, still avoiding my eye, she . . . er . . . well, it's not just you, it's Dumbledore, too . . .'

'She believes the Daily Prophet?' I scoffed. 'She thinks I'm a liar and Dumbledore's an old fool?'

Seamus looked up at me.

'Yeah, something like that.'

I didn't say anything. I threw my wand down on to my bedside table, pulled off my robes, stuffed them angrily into my trunk and pulled on my pyjamas. I was sick of it; sick of being the person who gets stared at and talked about all the time. If any of them knew, if any of them had the faintest idea what it felt like to be the one all these things had happened to . . . Mrs Finnigan had no idea, the stupid woman, I thought savagely.

I got into bed and made to pull the hangings closed around me, but before I could do so, Seamus said, 'Look . . . what did happen that night when . . . you know, when . . . with Cedric Diggory and all?'

Seamus sounded nervous and eager at the same time. Dean, who had been bending over his trunk trying to retrieve a slipper, went oddly still and I knew he was listening hard.

'What are you asking me for?' I retorted. 'Just read the Daily Prophet like your mother, why don't you? That'll tell you all you need to know.'

'Don't you have a go at my mother,' Seamus snapped.

'I'll have a go at anyone who calls me a liar,' I snarled.

'Don't talk to me like that!'

'I'll talk to you how I want,' my temper rising so fast as I snatched my wand from my bedside table. 'If you've got a problem sharing a dormitory with me, go and ask McGonagall if you can be moved . . . stop your mummy worrying - '

'Leave my mother out of this, Potter!'

'What's going on?'

Ron had appeared in the doorway. His wide eyes travelled from me, kneeling on my bed with my wand pointing at Seamus, to Seamus, who was standing there with his fists raised.

'He's having a go at my mother!' Seamus yelled.

What?' said Ron. 'Harry wouldn't do that - we met your mother, we liked her . . .'

'That's before she started believing every word the stinking Daily Prophet writes about me!' I shouted at the top of his voice.

"What the heck is going on?" A new voice interrupted our shouting-match, and instantly, Ron yelped in surprise. "Bianca! Bloody hell! What the heck are you doing here?"

"Some people," She glared at the boys (including me) venomously, "Have to sleep. What happened in here?" She put her hands on her hips, suddenly changing the subject. "You guys sounded like you were trying to kill each other, no pun intended." She held her arms out in her own defense, not that she needed to, she could easily kick all our asses without even batting an eyelash.

"Tell that to the mad-man!" Dean pointed a finger at me angrily. "He's the one who started it. I might as well go now to McGonagall, I don't want to share a dorm with him anymore!" With that, he stormed out of the dorm, leaving Bianca quite bewildered.

"Man, you boys are a messed up bunch!" She sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"You're one to talk!" Ron snarled, his ears still steaming mad. "You and that miniature death eater have got enough 'power to destroy the whole world'!"

Bianca's eyes hardened. "Don't talk about my brother like that." She crossed her arms. "There are things that you haven't seen and experienced that make him that way. The same with me, so don't you ever talk to us like that, kay?"

She shot him a glare, and if looks could kill, he would've incinerated on the spot. I sighed. I guess she was right, we _were_ a messed up bunch.

-0-0-0-0-

**Draco's POV** **(A/N Bet you weren't expecting that!)**

Who did they think they were? That was the most obvious bluff in the entire wizarding and muggle world. Them? The power to destroy the world? No way.

I motioned to Crabbe and Goyle, who were standing, ready to follow my orders. I jerked my head towards the door, before making my way there, winking at Pansy, who just swooned at the sight of me. I was definitely the girls' man.

"Listen." I hissed at my friends, who cowered beneath me. But then, there are always those who don't truly understand my amazing skill, talent, and good looks. I sneered at the doorway, where we were about to go to find that loser, _Death Boy_. He was definitely an example. Honestly, the power to destroy an entire world? I snorted. _I_ am the only one with all that power. How dare he lie to me like that!

I tromped out of the dormitory, my friends cracking their fists behind me menacingly. If I were that stupid idiot, _Death Boy_, I would run far away from me in fear, to continue living that miserable, pathetic life of his. I pulled out my wand, brandishing my wand with a flourish, looking very dangerous and powerful.

We, or rather, _I,_ spotted the idiot lurking in an abandoned corridor, twirling his jewelry. I stepped forward, silent as a ghost, knowing the idiot would never spot me. The idiot turned, catching me by surprise, something that never happens. Oh well, he got lucky, I thought, it won't happen again.

Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles, looking as intimidating as ever, to everyone else except for me. I folded my arms, maintaining a cool and expressionless face.

"What do you want?" His voice sounded exasperated, what? No, no, I probably made a mistake, he was _breathless_ from fear, yes, that's it.

"Your sister, I mean, _Death Girl,_" I strode forward, pointing my finger at his face. "Said you had the power to destroy the world," Crabbe strode forward, grabbing the idiot by his neck. "I'd like to see that power."

I smirked, knowing the idiot was done for. What I didn't expect was for Crabbe to scream. The little idiot had somehow gotten Crabbe to release him, and then with both hands clenching my friend's arm, he flipped Crabbe over, causing my friend to land with a groan. What?! That was unfair! Crabbe had obviously shown him mercy. That was it, I thought, as I gripped my wand tighter. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

I motioned to Goyle, who surged forward, launching himself forward strongly, before… The idiot flipped him over his shoulder, again. I scrambled backwards, making a tactical retreat, firing spells, strong and steady. That little brat simply dodged them. What?! Only muggles did that! What type of mud-blood would dodge a curse?

We stood face to face, with me towering over him, looking, once again, powerful and in control. "Haven't got your sister here to protect you now." I stated, sneering bravely into his face. "What are you going to- Whoa!"

The brat flipped me over his shoulder, sending me catapulting into the far wall. I scrambled back up in a dignified manner, completely ignoring the excruciating agony from my shattered bones; I was such a brave boy. I dropped into a fighting position; (my wand had dropped out of my hand while I was flying through the air, leaving me with no choice but to fight like a common muggle, which would cause him more pain. Honestly, if I had my wand, I would be doing him a favor. Now I have to kick his ass.) With my eyes at level with my fists, I was looking very ready for his puny attacks.

He smirked at my position. Hmph! As if he could do better. I snarled, before drawing back my fist and sending it hurtling towards his face. It was a perfect punch. I felt a hard surface meet my fist, and I knew I had hit my target… Before I realized the 'target' was actually his palm. His fingers closed in on my fist, and I could actually hear my bones snap. I screamed, a brave heroic scream, unable to bear the pain he was causing me. "You don't call my sister, _Death Girl." _He hissed. "And I don't need anyone to protect me."

"What's going on?" A breathless voice sounded from the far end of the corridor. Finally! A teacher had finally got to the scene of crime. Di'Angelo released my hand.

"Di'Angelo was hurting me and my friends." I whispered, unable to comprehend the fact that he was just standing there calmly; when it was so obvious he was going to be expelled.

"With all due respect, Professors." The brat retorted. "He attacked me first."

"Any evidence." A familiar voice asked. Thank god, I thought as I caught a glimpse of billowing robes, thank god it's Professor Snape.

"Yes." A tiny, whimpering voice echoed among the corridor. "I saw it all." The figure stepped out from the shadows, her face pale. It was the mudblood. Dammit.

"Would you care to explain Ms. Granger?" McGonagall sighed.

The mudblood nodded. "Well, I couldn't sleep, and I heard quite a loud noise from downstairs, so I decided to go to check, and I saw Malfoy." She looked at me with contempt. "He was taunting Nico, then Crabbe grabbed him by the neck-" A loud murmur passed through the bunch of teachers. "-and Nico… He reacted, badly." She summed up.

"Well, what do you mean?" McGonagall asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Judging by the fact that there are two unconscious students from my house," Snape spat. "I think we all know what happened, it is very… obvious." He opened his mouth to speak, probably to deduct points, before remembering that Di'Angelo was in his house. His mouth pressed together into a thin line. Di'Angelo smirked.

"Severus!" McGonagall snapped. "I agree it is obvious!" She jabbed a finger at him, which was very unlike her. "Students from your house attacked another with no reason at all! 50 points from Slytherin!" McGonagall's voice was nearing a hysterical screech that hurt my ears a lot. I groaned, immediately getting Snape's eye.

"But as that also happens," Snape sneered. "That student also successfully attacked 3 of my students, knocking 2 unconscious, and all three battered. So as the head of this house, Mr. Di'Angelo," I caught my breath, Snape was going to expel the idiot? Thank god! "You are expe-"

"Don't you dare." McGonagall snapped. I stopped myself from gasping. How DARE she? Just when Snape was doing a good service to the whole Hogwartian community, she stops him from doing it! "Mr. Di'Angelo was defending himself from attacks, though they may have been slightly-" she shot a stern glance at Di'Angelo. "Exaggerated, they were perfectly reasonable. On the other hand, I will get Dumbledore to take a look into this." Her nostrils flared, before she turned to Di'Angelo. "I'll accompany you to Dumbledore's office, your sister will be notified about this event. She may accompany you as well if she chooses to." She then spotted my friends and I in the corridor, very bruised but brave. "As for you," An emotion flickered in her eyes, was it distaste? No it couldn't be, it had to be pity. "Severus, please help assist them to the medical ward."

What? That's it? No expulsion or detention for Di'Angelo? That was so unfair!

"Oh, Mr. Malfoy!" McGonagall called over her shoulder. "Detention for you and your friends for openly attacking your fellow student! When you've recovered, of course, which I doubt will be soon." She added hastily, running her eyes over my battered body, before hastily leaving, probably scared of my wrath- Wait, detention? This year can't get any worse, can it?


	11. Chapter 10

**Hi! Thanks for da support that you guys have given me! Sorz for da delay, but I had a major case of writer's block. I'll continue writing, and I probably won't abandon the idea, so, without any further ado, on with the story!**

Chapter 11

Hermione's POV

The story of the midnight showdown had spread rather quickly. By breakfast, the whole school was gossiping about it.

"I heard that Di'Angelo actually beat Malfoy, Crabbe AND Goyle!" A Gryffindor whispered.

"Yeah, and single-handedly too!" Another replied.

"He's sooooo brave." One girl practically drooled.

"I wonder if he has a girl-friend!" Another girl giggled. Bianca and I rolled our eyes simultaneously.

"I wonder what they would think if I told them that he still holds a grudge against me for stealing his Mythomagic figurine." Bianca whispered to me, I snickered in response.

Just then, the person in question strode into the hall, drawing everyone's attention. A few people applauded, which included most of the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables. Nico ignored the applause and simply sat at the edge of the Slytherin table, resulting in many glares and scared faces swiveling around to face them.

Bianca got to her feet, pushing her food away, following the crowd that was now surrounding Nico. She pushed aside the students, (who shot her indignant looks) and tapped her brother on the shoulder, before she hugged him briefly. "What did I tell you about beating up others on your first day? How many times do I have to remind you? Be careful, and don't hurt anyone too badly, alright?" She gazed at him intently, which would've gotten most students to flinch and look away. Nico only sighed. "Alright, but you remember, I'm not that little boy, anymore."

Bianca smiled gently. "I know. That's why I joined the H-" Nico silenced her with a glare. "School committee." Bianca hastily said. I frowned, I'm pretty sure that wasn't what she was about to say. I reminded myself to ask her about that later. The bell rang suddenly, cutting off the conversation. Bianca hastily hugged Nico. "See you soon! Don't go beating up everybody you see!" She called as he quickly made his way out of the hall, as if he wanted to be out of the limelight as soon as possible.

I watched Ron stuff his face with the remaining scraps of food, before we all stood to leave for our first lesson, which just happened to be the most boring lesson of the day, History of Magic. Bianca caught up with us soon enough and we all entered the classroom together. We sat down at the back (as usual, despite my complaints), readying my parchment and quill, as Binns floated through the door.

"Today, we shall be looking at the Giant Wars…" He started, before pausing gawking at Bianca. "I didn't know you would be here, Miss." He stammered. Bianca blushed. "It's alright, Binns, my father will forgive you for this," Binns evidently relaxed, his shriveled face showing every sign of relief. "Probably." She added, before rummaging through her bag for her quill and parchment. Binns paled, before he gulped. "T-the Gi-Giant W-wars," Binns stammered, the way he did throughout the whole lesson.

I frowned, my mind drifting away from Binns' stuttering voice. Why, or more importantly, HOW, did Bianca scare Binns that much? That was not only disrespectful, but also very suspicious. Also, who is Bianca's father? Why is Binns so scared of him? I frowned again, my eyes darting over to where Harry and Ron sat, playing hangman on the edge of the paper. I sighed dramatically. Honestly, boys.

"C-Cl-lass dis-mi-issed." Binns stuttered, before he hurriedly drifted away through the blackboard. 'How would it be,' I asked Harry and Ron coldly, as they left the classroom for break, 'if I refused to lend you my notes this year?'

'We'd fail our OWL, said Ron. 'If you want that on your conscience, Hermione . . .'

'Well, you'd deserve it,' she snapped. 'You don't even try to listen to him, do you?'

'We do try,' said Ron. 'We just haven't got your brains or your memory or your concentration - you're just cleverer than we are - is it nice to rub it in?'

'Oh, don't give me that rubbish,' said Hermione, "Did you even notice what Bianca said?"

"What?" Ron looked slightly alarmed. "Did Binns reveal the fact that she and her brother are Death Eaters?"

I desperately wanted to slap him. "I'll take that as a no, then." I scowled. "Binns was afraid of Bianca, well, actually he was afraid of her father." I added thoughtfully. "Didn't you notice how he stammered the whole lesson?"

"No." Harry and Ron answered simultaneously, but both seemed to wish they did.

"It's a sign." I thought aloud. "I don't think Bianca is merely a student, or, at least what she tells us. She's definitely something more-"

"Yeah, like _Death Eater._" Ron interrupted, rolling his eyes. "It's so obvious. She and her brother practice Necromancy, according to what Dumbledore said."

"RONALD!" I practically shouted. "That is the most ridiculous thing I've heard all day! You have no proo-"

"Actually, Hermione, Ron might have a point." This time, it was Harry who spoke. "Their mysterious behavior could be explained by them being Death Eaters. Come on, Hermione, you have to admit, all the signs point to that."

Though I hated to say it, he was right. "Fine, but innocent till proven guilty." I sighed.

"Did Hermione just admit that we were right?"

"Oh, shut up Ron."

-0-0-0-0-0-

Nico's POV

The dungeon was dark and gloomy. I loved it. Other than the fact that the teacher was an ignorant bastard, 90% of the students are freaked about yesterday's fight and refuse to sit or even be near me. Also, the fact that I was in the same classroom as the blond idiot Malfoy, didn't help. Well, at least Bianca was also in the same class.

Just then, the 'teacher' entered the room. 'Settle down,' said Snape coldly, shutting the door behind him.

There was no real need for the call to order; the moment the class had heard the door close, quiet had fallen and all fidgeting stopped. Snape's mere presence was usually enough to ensure a class's silence.

'Before we begin today's lesson,' said Snape, sweeping over to his desk and staring around at them all, 'I think it appropriate to remind you that next June you will be sitting an important examination, during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and use of magical potions. Moronic though some of this class undoubtedly are, I expect you to scrape an "Acceptable" in your OWL, or suffer my . . . displeasure.'

His gaze lingered this time on a round faced boy (I think he was Neville), who gulped.

'After this year, of course, many of you will cease studying with me,' Snape went on. 'I take only the very best into my NEWT Potions class, which means that some of us will certainly be saying goodbye.'

His eyes rested on Harry and his lip curled. Harry glared back, feeling a grim pleasure at the idea that he would be able to give up Potions after fifth year.

'But we have another year to go before that happy moment of farewell,' said Snape softly, 'so, whether or not you are intending to attempt NEWT, I advise all of you to concentrate your efforts upon maintaining the high pass level I have come to expect from my OWL students.

'Today we will be mixing a potion that often comes up at Ordinary Wizarding Level: the Draught of Peace, a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. Be warned: if you are too heavy-handed with the ingredients you will put the drinker into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep, so you will need to pay close attention to what you are doing.' On Harry's left, Hermione sat up a little straighter, her expression one of utmost attention. The ingredients and method - ' Snape flicked his wand ' - are on the blackboard - (they appeared there) ' - you will find everything you need - ' he flicked his wand again ' - in the store cupboard - ' (the door of the said cupboard sprang open) ' - you have an hour and a half . . . start.'

I rolled my eyes, as the rest of the class hurriedly set up their cauldrons and equipment, flicking their potions book to the right page. I shot a glance at Harry, who was clearly sweating it out. I nudged Bianca, before hastily scribbling: _Can't believe dey listen 2 dat idi0t._ I passed her the note. She rolled her eyes.

Our conversation went something like this:

Bianca: _Dey hv 2, s'not like dey want 2._

Me: _Den dey idi0t 2._

Bianca: _Don't kall dem dat._

Me: _Y not? U don't own me._

Bianca: _Im still ur sis._

Me: _So?_

Bianca: _So im bigger dan u_

Me: _*sigh* I thought we betta dan dis._

Bianca: _Hey, don't blame moi, just kame bak from da dead._

Me: _U hv a point…_

Bianca was just writing her reply when Snape snatched the little square of parchment out of her hands.

"Note passing? Miss Di'Angelo? Tut tut." Snape tutted in disapproval. "10 points from Gryffindor." His eyes skimmed over the note, his eyes narrowing as he read the ninth line. "Stay behind after the lesson, I need to have a word with you."

Bianca sighed inwardly, and I completely understood her pain. Staying with Snape is definitely NOT a thing you would like to experience. She looked at me, her eyes speaking the unspoken: _Dude, I might need back-up, stay behind. _I sighed. _Why me?_

-0-0-0-0-

"I want to know how you completed the potion in 2 minutes, and what you meant by 'Back from the dead'." Snape sneered as he towered over Bianca, who's face remained impassive.

"Tut, tut." Bianca impersonated Snape. "Didn't your mother tell you 'I want doesn't get'?" She retorted.

Right after Snape read the note, he took a glance at our empty cauldrons. "Tut, tut. That won't do, will it? I'll give you another chance, if you can at least start the basis of a good potion, I will give you a D for trying, instead of a P." Snape sneered at Harry, "Unlike what I would give to some students." Before stalking away.

I shrugged at Bianca, before we both drew our wands out and let Hecate do the work. (Dumbledore had told us that Hecate would help us with all the spells and potions, as long as we say offer more food as sacrifices) Within the next 30 seconds, the substances (that had magically appeared from nowhere) within cauldron had simmered down into a well-mixed liquid, with a slight silver vapour rising from the surface.

We turned out to be the only one who finished the potion, other than a slightly miffed Hermione. The look on Snape's face had been priceless. Bringing us to where we are now.

"That's enough!" Snape yelled, bringing us back to the present. "You've been toying with me for the past few minutes, and I want answers." Bianca rolled her eyes. "Just ask Dumbledore, he knows." She uncrossed her legs and got up from her chair.

"C'mon Nico, lets go!" She called to me, and I obliged, stepping out of the shadows, smirking at Snape's confused expression. I took her hand, and shadow-travelled to the Entrance of the Great Hall, where lunch was already starting. We both walked to the Gryffindor table, where the Golden Trio was conversing in hushed tones. I pulled Bianca back, not wanting to be missing out on what was a potentially invaluable piece of information, walking to the nearest pillar, taking cover behind it.

'…I did think he might be a bit better this year,' said Hermione in a disappointed voice. 'I mean . . . you know . . .' she looked around carefully; as fi she were afraid someone would hear them' . . . now he's in the Order and everything.' I rolled my eyes, they were trying hard to be secretive, he had to give them that, but any person within the area would've been able to hear their rather loudly spoken conversation.

'Poisonous toadstools don't change their spots,' said Ron sagely. 'Anyway, I've always thought Dumbledore was cracked to trust Snape. Where's the evidence he ever really stopped working for You-Know-Who?' I had to agree with that one. "Or the fact that the mini Death Eater is just another informant for the You-Know-Who?" I knew they were talking about me. Another sad thing in life. I glanced at Bianca and scowled, she just shrugged.

I pouted, sticking out my bottom lip, before stalking over to the Slytherin table. I turned to see Bianca sticking her tongue out at me. I scowled again.

-0-0-0-0-

Bianca's POV

Divination sucked. Harry had already told me about her habit of predicting his death every lesson. Again. And again. And again. Di immortales! Didn't she ever get tired of that? Apparently she didn't, because right then, she stared at me straight in the eye. "Y-yo-you!" She raised a shaking finger at me. "You sh-should be dea-dead!" I rolled my eyes, masking my surprise, hoping she didn't reveal too much. "Yeah, and how am I sitting right in front of you?" I retorted sarcastically, before slumping into my seat.

Her finger quivered, before she finally knocked saw sense in what I had just said

"T-turn, pleas-please, to t-the introduction a-and read what Ima-imago has to sa-

say on the mat-matter of dream interpret-interpretation. The-en, divide into pairs.

U-use The Dream Oracle to interpret each other's most recent dreams." She

gradually stopped spluttering, and I rolled my eyes, before turning to face Harry and Ron, who had gotten their copies of the Dream Oracle. "Is she always like that?"

Harry shrugged. "Yup, but she usually says that to me, not to anyone else though.

Do you know why she told you?"

I tried not to look guilty. "No, I think she just got something wrong." I tried putting on my innocent face, whilst bending the mist, one of the many tricks Nico had managed to teach me overnight. "Doesn't she always do that?" Harry's face cleared. "I-I guess." He stammered thoughtfully. I smiled. Phew!

Divination passed quickly, and soon, it was Defense against the Dark Arts. I had always wondered what this class would be about, after all, did I count as a 'Dark Art'? As soon as I had stepped into the classroom, I the toad's pair of eyes trained on me from the back of the room. Apparently she disliked me.

'Well, good afternoon!' she said, when finally the whole class had sat down.

A few people mumbled 'good afternoon' in reply.

'Tut, tut,' said Professor Umbridge. 'That won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply "Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge". One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!'

'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge,' We chanted back at her.

There, now,' said Professor Umbridge sweetly (I gagged). That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please.'

Many of the class exchanged gloomy looks; the order 'wands away' had never yet been followed by a lesson they had found interesting. Harry shoved his wand back inside his bag and pulled cut quill, ink and parchment. Professor Umbridge opened her handbag, extracted her own wand, which was an unusually short one, and tapped the blackboard sharply with it; words appeared on the board at once:

Defence Against the Dark Arts

A Return to Basic Principles

'Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?' stated Professor Umbridge, turning to face the class with her hands clasped neatly in front of her. "The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your OWL year.

'You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory-centred, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please.' (I tried my best to look to strained or strangled)

She rapped the blackboard again; the first message vanished and was replaced by the 'Course Aims'.

1\. Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic.

2\. Learning to recognise situations in which defensive magic can legally

he used

3\. Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use.

For a couple of minutes the room was full of the sound of scratching quills on parchment. When everyone had copied down Professor Umbridge's three course aims she asked, 'Has everybody got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?'

There was a dull murmur of assent throughout the class, I rolled my eyes again.

'I think we'll try that again,' said Professor Umbridge. 'When I ask you a question, I should like you to reply, "Yes, Professor Umbridge", or "No, Professor Umbridge'. (My right eye twitched) So: has everyone got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?'

'Yes, Professor Umbridge,' rang through the room.

'Good,' said Professor Umbridge. I should like you to turn to page five and read "Chapter One, Basics for Beginners". There will be no need to talk.' (I was ready to kill her)

Professor Umbridge left the blackboard and settled herself in the chair behind the teacher's desk, observing us all closely with those pouchy toad's eyes.

"But miss!" I raised my arm in the air. The toad ignored me, but my classmates didn't. After a few minutes of unrelenting silence and the entire class' stares, the toad spoke: "What is it my dear, do you have a question about the chapter?"

"No." I sighed. "I-"

"If it's not about the chapter, I shall deal with your queries after the less-"

"I've got dyslexia, so I can't read, which is why I'm probably I will be failing this class, unless there is a practical side to this?" I raised an eyebrow, interrupting her sentence. She turned beet red.

"Well, why don't you ask Dumbledore, then?" The toad replied sweetly, not answering my question.

"I did. He trusted you to have a _practical_ side to your lessons, so he left the matter at there." I leaned back into the seat. "So back to the matter at hand, will there be a practical side to this, I'm going to be failing this course, is that right?

The toad opened her mouth, before shutting it, her face bright red. "Are you questioning the ways of the ministry, my dear?"

"Yes." I shrugged. "Isn't there a thing called 'freedom of speech' in England? Besides, I do think the ministry curriculum won't help, if we only learn the theory, we won't be able to pass the theory section of the OWLs, or be able to defend ourselves in the rea-"

"Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?' enquired Professor Umbridge in a horribly honeyed voice.

'Hmm, let's think . . .' said Harry in a mock thoughtful voice for the first time in the whole lesson. 'Maybe . . . Lord Voldemort?'

Ron gasped; Lavender Brown uttered a little scream; Neville slipped sideways off his stool. Professor Umbridge, however, did not flinch. She was staring at Harry with a grimly satisfied expression on her face.

'Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr Potter.'

The classroom was silent and still. Everyone was staring at either Umbridge or Harry.

'Now, let me make a few things quite plain.'

Professor Umbridge stood up and leaned towards them, her stubby-fingered hands splayed on her desk.

'You have been told that a certain Dark wizard has returned from the dead - '

'He wasn't dead,' said Harry angrily, 'but yeah, he's returned!'

'Mr-Potter-you-have-already-lost-your-house-ten-points-do-not-make-matters-worse-for-yourself,' said Professor Umbridge in one breath without looking at him. 'As I was saying, you have been informed that a certain Dark wizard is at large once again. This is a lie.'

'It is NOT a lie!' said Harry. 'I saw him, I fought him!'

'Detention, Mr Potter!' said Professor Umbridge triumphantly. Tomorrow evening. Five o'clock. My office. I repeat, this is a lie. The Ministry of Magic guarantees that you are not in danger from any Dark wizard. If you are still worried, by all means come and see me outside class hours. If someone is alarming you with fibs ab-"

"With all due respect, Harry was simply stating an opinion that he has. There isn't, by any chance a law that prevents you from stating your opinion, in the UK?" I raised my eyebrow whilst the toad stayed silent. "I thought so. So there really isn't any valid reason for you to give Harry detention, is there?" I tried to keep my face blank, which wasn't easy, considering that I really wanted to punch her in the face.

The toad turned beet red. "Class dismissed, and so are you, Mr. Potter, from your detention." She muttered.

Harry and me were the first out of the classroom.


	12. Chapter 11

**OMG SO SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED! But I do come from a Chinese, homework-crazed family, soooooo...**

**P.S.) Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

Chapter 12

Nico's POV

I was still kinda miffed about Bianca dragging me along to Snape's 'Welcome party' after class a few weeks ago. I was even more miffed that Bianca had exposed the fact that I had enough power to destroy the world. One thing she hadn't exposed was that I wasn't fifteen yet, which I was grateful for of course. A few weeks have passed without any incident, and after IM-ing Percy and Thalia lots of times- ("No Percy, I can't smuggle you any blue cookies because THERE AREN'T ANY!) telling Professor Dumbledore about how things were- (Yes Professor, Harry and Ron apparently don't trust us, we are 'miniature Death Eaters' according to their logic) catching up with our classes- (Di'Angelo, do you think really think that this is good enough for you OWLs?) secretly training in the room of requirement- ("Focus, Bianca! Otherwise, when you shadow travel, you're gonna travel into a wall) and basically living life easy. (No! For the last time, I do NOT want to be part of your Quidditch team!)

We had picked up a few things about Harry, how he was whispered and shunned amongst his classmates, how he had a major crush on Cho Chang and how he communicated with his Godfather (a proclaimed mass murderer) under the codename Snuffles.

I sighed, rubbing my eyes (though it was in the morning) as I struggled under the massive pile of homework I was given. Bianca had told me she was better off with the help of Hermione, but she too was struggling. I looked up, to see that most of the Slytherin house was leaving for the Quidditch pitch.

"…go watch that Weasley make a fool out of himself!" The blonde idiot was grinning like mad, but of course that was before I shot him a glare. As soon as they left, I shadow-travelled to Bianca, hoping no one would see. I grabbed her hand and we arrived at the Quidditch arena, minutes before the rest of the idiots did.

"What are we doing here?" Bianca hissed.

"Nothing. Just checking up on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and making sure Malfoy doesn't do anything." I hissed back, just as we got to the seats.

"Alright then."

The look on Malfoy's face was priceless when he saw Bianca and me seated in the stands.

'What's that Weasley's riding?' Malfoy called in his sneering drawl. 'Why would anyone put a flying charm on a mouldy old log like that?'

Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy Parkinson guffawed and shrieked with laughter, luckily we were in the row behind them. I cracked my knuckles loudly. The four of them paled. Bianca laughed.

'Hey, Johnson, what's with that hairstyle, anyway?' shrieked Pansy Parkinson trying to act tough (apparently she didn't learn her lessons). 'Why would anyone want to look like they've got worms coming out of their head?'

Angelina swept her long braided hair out of her face and continued calmly speaking to her teammates. Hmm, I like this girl.

After a few practice exercises (with Ron making a ton of mistakes), and a lot of laughing and jeering from the Slytherins, I understood why the rest of the school hated them. Not that I didn't know that before, but I fully understood why now.

'Hey, Potter, how's your scar feeling?' called Malfoy. 'Sure you don't need a lie down? It must be, what, a whole week since you were in the hospital wing, that's a record for you, isn't it?'

George passed to Angelina; she reverse-passed to Harry, who had not been expecting it, but caught it in the very tips of his fingers and passed it quickly to Ron, who lunged for it and missed by inches.

It would have been hard to say whether Ron's face or the Quaffle was a deeper scarlet when he again returned to playing height. Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherin team were howling with laughter.

Bianca growled. I held her back from decimating the entire Slytherin house. Not that I would've minded anyway. After a lot more jeering and taunts from that house, the Gryffindor team finished practice due to the loss of their chaser and beater.

Feelings were running high in the Slytherin house, and all I wanted to do was to that stupid grin off Malfoy's face. With so many people around, I couldn't risk shadow travelling or anything, meaning we had to walk with the rest of the Slytherin house.

"Did you see Weasley? His saves were so lousy, I swear they are even worse than Di'Angelo's! You hear that Di'Angelo? I think you found your match!" Malfoy guffawed, along with the rest of Slytherin. I rolled my eyes, turning to Bianca.

"Θεοί! Είναι το πιο χαζό μάτσο ηλίθιους που έχω δει ποτέ!" **(Gods! They are the most stupidest bunch of idiots I've ever seen!)** Bianca exclaimed.

"Είπατε ότι η πρώτη φορά που είδε τον Περσέα, και από τον τρόπο, «χαζό» δεν είναι στην πραγματικότητα μια λέξη." **(You said that the first time you saw Percy, and by the way, 'stupidest' isn't really a word) **I muttered darkly. (The things I had said were true, Bianca had told me that Percy seemed slightly off his hook, when we had first IM-ed him after Dumbledore's meeting. It was the first time she had actually got to know him since her death)

"Αυτό είναι λίγο αδερφέ μου! Πάντα η λογική και η λογική!" **(That's my little bro! Always the logical and reasonable one!) **Bianca laughed, ruffling my hair, deepening my scowl ever so slightly. The Slytherins just stared at us with different expressions (bewilderment, scorn, confusion…).

"So I see that the siblings have finally decided to talk!" Malfoy drawled. "Even though they are only trying to imitate what we're saying." He guffawed again, along with the rest of his house (excluding me of course). "Are you so dumb, that you can't speak proper English? Is that what it is?" He guffawed again.

I rolled my eyes. "Are you so dumb, that you can't tell the difference between English and Greek?"

"That was Greek? That sounded more like a language used by non-evolved mudbloods! Oh wait, you are non-evolved." Malfoy laughed, and just then, the sky rumbled. A few students glanced up uneasily.

"I'm pretty sure if that was what apes used, (Yes Malfoy, that's the proper term) most of it would consist of hoot, grunt and ooh, which wouldn't make a pretty decent conversation." I sighed, then turned to Bianca again. "θεών! Είναι τόσο ηλίθιο!" **(Gods! They're so stupid!)**

We both sighed in synchronization (again), both knowing what would happen if we had incurred Zeus's wrath, except that Malfoy git was too stupid for that. If only he knew…

"What does that mean?" Malfoy mocked. "_My sister and I are two dumb nitwits, and I wish I was as cool as Draco?" _I snorted in disbelief. "Nitwits; Περισσότερο σαν "η αδελφή μου και εγώ είμαστε οι πιο ισχυρές ημίθεους του αιώνα". **(Nitwits? More like "my sister and I are the most powerful demigods of the century".) **

"And as for you being cool, είμαστε τόσο δροσερό ότι παγωτοζαχαρωτά ζηλεύουν." **(We're so cool that ice-lollies are jealous.) **Bianca huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "Unlike you." She muttered under her breath, knowing no one (other than me, of course) could hear what she said. I heard her crystal clear, but Malfoy, being the stupid ignorant git, didn't.

"What did you say?" Malfoy arched his eyebrows, in an attempt to look cool. "Filthy half-bloods." I rolled my eyes, stifling a laugh. If only he knew.

"Come on Nico, we shouldn't spend our time on these ηλίθιοι, they're just wasting it." Bianca sighed, placing her arm on my shoulder, a subconscious signal to my brain, that she wanted to leave. "We have better things to do."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Malfoy taunted.

"Like we would tell you." I muttered, as we headed for the Room of Requirement, the place where we could let our anger up.

You might ask how. And to answer that in simple terms: _We blow stuff up._

-0-0-0-0-

Bianca twisted her fingers, and the dummy in the middle of the room exploded, inches were my head was. I twisted away, only to be met by a volley of her attacks. Damn, she was getting good. I pooled together the shadows by my feet, and disappeared through it. _Not as good as me though._

I envisioned myself within Bianca's shadow, and my mind immediately travelled there, giving me absolute control over it. Now, what would you do, if your shadow suddenly attacked you?

That was Bianca's dilemma, as she fought desperately against her shadow and my body, which I was also controlling from within the shadow. The shadow twisted, and Bianca's blades skittered across the floor. I returned to my own body, my sword pointed directly at her spine. "You need to work on dividing you attention on the two attackers." I sheathed my sword. "You're still hesitating."

"Well, in my own defense, I was being attacked by my own shadow." Bianca retorted, getting to her feet. "And you, were attacking me from both sides. Besides you have more practice with controlling shadows. But you have to admit, I'm getting better."

I snorted. "Yeah. At blowing things up, which isn't exactly the best thing to learn." I gestured to the place, which was now littered with scraps of broken dummies and scorch marks. "You should work on _discreet_." I patted her on the back. "But you are getting better though, I'm gonna have to admit."

Bianca pumped her fists in the air. "How's that for a first week?"

-0-0-0-0-

By the time we got back to the form room, it was pretty late. There hadn't been any lessons that day, but we were still tired as hell (no pun intended). I shadow-travelled Bianca back to her form room, into the most discreet spot possible, only to find that the fireplace (which was directly across the spot) occupied.

I dragged Bianca back into the shadows, and listened in to the snippets of conversation.

"…bed before everyone else had disappeared,' a voice said. 'I've been checking every hour.'

'You've been popping into the fire every hour?' another voice (that sounded like Harry) said, half-laughing.

'Just for a few seconds to check if the coast was clear.' The first voice replied.

'But what if you'd been seen?' said a third voice (Hermione) anxiously, giving me the impression that this conversation wasn't meant to take place.

'Well, I think a girl - first-year, by the look of her - might've get a glimpse of me earlier, but don't worry,' The voice said hastily, as Hermione clapped a hand to her mouth, looking shocked. Yup, we were definitely listening in to something that was top secret. "I was gone the moment she looked back at me and I'll bet she just thought I was an oddly-shaped log or something.'

'But, Sirius, this is taking an awful risk - ' Hermione began.

'You sound like Molly,' said Sirius, (so he was the person 'in the fireplace', it was the only place where a log would be no matter how improbable that sounded). This was the only way I could come up with of answering Harry's letter without resorting to a code - and codes are breakable.' (So they used a code! Great.)

'You didn't say you'd written to Sirius! said Hermione accusingly, which I agreed with. What if the letter was intercepted and the code broken?

'I forgot,' said Harry. 'Don't look at me like that, Hermione, there was no way anyone would have got secret information out of it, was there, Sirius?' (You'd be surprised at the amount of ways I could get information out of a person)

'No, it was very good,' said Sirius (What? Very good? No code is impenetrable.). 'Anyway, we'd better be quick, just in case we're disturbed - your scar.' I leaned forward; this was new news to me.

'What about - ?' Ron began, but Hermione interrupted him.

'We'll tell you afterwards. Go on, Sirius.'

'Well, I know it can't be fun when it hurts," (Duh) "but we don't think its anything to really worry about. It kept aching all last year, didn't it?'

'Yeah, and Dumbledore said it happened whenever Voldemort was feeling a powerful emotion,' said Harry. 'So maybe he was just, I dunno, really angry or something the night I had that detention.' (So Harry had a connection with the dark lord? And based on the theory that Harry's soul was connect with Voldemort's through a horcrux, this could be a very important piece of information.)

'Well, now he's back it's bound to hurt more often,' said Sirius.

'So you don't think it had anything to do with Umbridge touching me when I was in detention with her?' Harry asked. (No duh, she's just plain foul)

'I doubt it,' said Sirius. 'I know her by reputation and I'm sure she's no Death Eater - '

'She's foul enough to be one,' said Harry darkly, and Ron and Hermione (and me) nodded vigorously in agreement.

'Yes, but the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters,' (Yup, there's also monsters, titans, giants and gods who want to kill you.) said Sirius with a wry smile. 'I know she's a nasty piece of work, though - you should hear Remus talk about her.'

'Does Lupin know her?' asked Harry quickly.

'No,' said Sirius, 'but she drafted a bit of anti-werewolf legislation two years ago thai makes it almost impossible for him to get a job.'

'What's she got against werewolves?' said Hermione angrily. (Uh, nothing, except they're loathsome and would kill you on sight?)

'Scared of them, I expect,' said Sirius, smiling. 'Apparently, she loathes part-humans;" (so does she hate half Gods too?) "she campaigned to have merpeople rounded up and tagged last year, too. Imagine wasting your time and energy persecuting merpeople when there are little toerags like Kreacher on the loose.'

'Sirius!' Hermione said reproachfully. 'Honestly," (just shut up already) "if you made a bit of an effort with Kreacher, I'm sure he'd respond. After all, you are the only member of his family he's got left, and Professor Dumbledore said - '

'So, what are Umbridge's lessons like?' Sirius interrupted. (Thank god, Sirius) 'Is she training you all to kill half-breeds?'

'No,' said Harry. 'She's not letting us use magic at all!' (Who cares about magic?)

'All we do is read the stupid textbook,' said Ron. (True.)

'Ah, well, that figures,' said Sirius. 'Our information from inside the Ministry is that Fudge doesn't want you trained in combat.'

'Trained in combat!' repeated Harry incredulously. 'What does he think we're doing here, forming some sort of wizard army?' (Of course! Never underestimate the power of 15-year-old students!)

That's exactly what he thinks you're doing,' said Sirius, 'or, rather, that's exactly what he's afraid Dumbledore's doing - forming his own private army, with which he will be able to take on the Ministry of Magic.'

There was a pause at this, then Ron said, That's the most stupid thing I've ever heard, including all the stuff that Luna Lovegood comes out with.' (Hey! Crumple-horned Snortbacks do exist! They're also called drakons!)

'So we're being prevented from learning Defence Against the Dark Arts because Fudge is scared we'll use spells against the Ministry?' said Hermione.

'Yep,' said Sirius. 'Fudge thinks Dumbledore will stop at nothing to seize power. He's getting more paranoid about Dumbledore by the day. It's a matter of time before he has Dumbledore arrested on some trumped-up charge.' (Oh well, not my problem.)

'D'you know if there's going to be anything about Dumbledore in the Daily

Prophet tomorrow? Ron's brother Percy reckons there will be - '

'I don't know,' said Sirius, 'I haven't seen anyone from the Order all weekend, they're all busy. It's just been Kreacher and me here." (Whoever Kreacher was, Sirius obviously didn't like him.)

'So you haven't had any news about Hagrid, either?' (Hagrid? Who the heck is Hagrid?)

'Ah . . .' said Sirius, 'well, he was supposed to be back by now, no one's sure what's happened to him. But Dumbledore's not worried, so don't you three get yourselves in a state; I'm sure Hagrid's fine.' (So whatever Dumbledore says is correct, then?)

'But if he was supposed to be back by now . . .' said Hermione in a small, anxious voice.

'Madame Maxime was with him, we've been in touch with her and she says they got separated on the journey home - but there's nothing to suggest he's hurt or - well, nothing to suggest he's not perfectly OK.' (Or perfectly not OK)

'Listen, don't go asking too many questions about Hagrid,' said Sirius hastily, 'it'll just draw even more attention to the fact that he's not back and I know Dumbledore doesn't want that. Hagrid's tough, he'll be OK. When's your next Hogsmeade" (What?! What kind of name is that?) "weekend, anyway? I was thinking, we got away with the dog disguise at the station, didn't we? I thought I could - '

'NO!' said Harry and Hermione together, very loudly. Yup, they were definitely going to draw some random straggler's attention, sooner or later, and the 'secret' they were hiding, wasn't going to be a secret much longer. Amateurs.

'Sirius, didn't you see the Daily Prophet?' said Hermione anxiously, interrupting my train of thoughts.

'Oh, that,' said Sirius, grinning, even though he shouldn't have any reason to. "they're always guessing where I am, they haven't really got a clue - '

'Yeah, but we think this time they have,' said Harry. 'Something Malfoy said on the train made us think he knew it was you, and his father was on the platform, Sirius - you know, Lucius Malfoy - so don't come up here, whatever you do. If Malfoy recognises you again - '

'All right, all right, I've got the point,' said Sirius. He looked most displeased. 'Just an idea, thought you might like to get together.'

'I would, I just don't want you chucked back in Azkaban!' said Harry.

There was a pause in which Sirius looked out of the fire at Harry, a crease between his sunken eyes.

'You're less like your father than I thought,' he said finally, a definite coolness in his voice. 'The risk would've been what made it fun for James.'

'Look - '

'Well, I'd better get going, I can hear Kreacher coming down the atairs,' said Sirius. 'I'll write to tell you a time I can make it back into the fire, then, shall I? If you can stand to risk it?'

"I-"

"What's taking so long?" Bianca hissed over my shoulder. "Can't I just get into my own common room?" She pushed past me out into the open, despite my warnings, and I face-palmed. We're _so _screwed.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 13**

**Ron's POV**

That's it. Bianca and her brother are officially in the list of death eaters. A screaming sorting hat, weird shadow magic and the ability to appear where we were conveniently having a secret conversation? That's just over the line.

I marched right up to Bianca, shoving my finger under her face. "How did you know about this, huh? You put some charm on us? Tracked us with your weird shadows?" I narrowed my eyes. "How did you find out, Death eater?"

Bianca feigned a confused look. "What do you mean? Death Eater?" She frowned. "What does that mean?"

"Don't act stupid with me, Death Eater." I hissed. "How long have you been passing information to You-Know-Who?"

"I don't understand, what are you trying to say?"

"Don't ac-"

"Ron!" Hermione grabbed my arm roughly. "Stop jumping to conclusions! They may have jus been-"

"Just been what?" I shouted angrily. "Just been walking around another house's dorm at midnight, where we were conveniently having a private conversation?"

Hermione stayed silent at that.

"Look, I don't know how you tricked Dumbledore into letting you into the school," I hissed angrily. "But you're not getting any further than this." I pulled my wand out. "Hermione, go get McGonagall."

"But-"

"Just do it!"

Hermione scampered off, and I turned back to face the two siblings. "Now don't move a muscle, or I won't hesitate to use the body lock on you."

At that, Nico laughed. "You? You really think that you can match your abilities with ours?"

I narrowed my eyes. "What do you mean?"

Nico smiled creepily. "Oh, nothing. You don't need to know."

"I think I do."

"Really Ron." Bianca stepped in. "You're better off not knowing."

"Oh yeah?" I snarled.

"Yes." Bianca replied simply, halting all attempts at conversing there, until McGonagall returned, along with Dumbledore.

"Oh my goodness!" McGonagall exclaimed, when she saw the scenario in front of her. "Weasley!" She snapped. "Put your wand down!"

My mouth dropped open. "But Professor-"

"Wand. Now."

I sighed and lowered my wand.

"Now would someone care to explain what is going on here?" McGonagall fumed.

"We were-" I caught the words in my throat. I couldn't tell her we were meeting with Sirius, could I?

"Well?" McGonagall asked, already impatient.

"Well…"

"It was nothing Professor!" Hermione exclaimed. "It was just a misunderstanding, that's all!"

"A misunderstanding?" McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "So you called both of us here for that?"

"Well…"

"It wasn't only that!" I shouted. "Those two just _conveniently_ appeared to be where we were having a private conversation, and they were both using shadow magic, which, according to most sources, is an _illegal_ type of magic, and they have been the cause of several fist fights, and a screaming sorting hat! Also-"

"Is that all?" Dumbledore interrupted. "I would advise you to not take those matters seriously." He straightened his glasses. "Please, Mr Weasley. Understand this," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "If I did not trust these two, they would not even be in Hogwarts right now." He straightened up. "And I am keeping an eye on them, so there is no need for you to worr-"

"With all due respect sir," Harry spoke up. "I think we deserve to go what's going on." He cast a glance at Hermione and me. "With all that's going on, surely, you don't expect us to just sit here and relax, can you?"

Dumbledore sighed. "In time Harry, in time."

"But –"

"Just trust me on this Harry." His gaze rested on Harry. "For what's coming, we need all the allies we can get." He smiled wearily. "Even if that means calling Nico and Bianca here." He sighed. "I know that you don't trust them," He turned to the siblings. "And I know that you don't trust us. However," He continued. "Do brace yourselves for the troubles ahead. It will not be easy." Dumbledore's frown lifted. "With that merry note, I believe that it is past your curfew. I suggest you rest as soon as possible, as you have a long day ahead of you."

My mouth dropped open, and I was sure I had been gaping like a fish. Was that really all he was going to say? How could he expect us to sit here whilst those two were sending information to the Dark Lord?

"Mr. Weasley, I do suggest you to shut your mouth." McGonagall sighed as she left. "It wouldn't do for you to catch a fly." My jaw snapped back up immediately, and the duo left in silence.

-0-0-0-0-

The next morning, the departing delivery owl had barely cleared the top of the milk jug when Hermione let out a huge gasp and flattened the newspaper to reveal a large photograph of Dolores Umbridge, smiling widely and blinking slowly at them from beneath the headline.

MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM

DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED

FIRST EVER HIGH INQUISITOR

'Umbridge - "High Inquisitor"?' said Harry darkly, his half-eaten piece of toast slipping from his fingers. 'What does that mean?'

Hermione read aloud:

'In a surprise move last night the Ministry of Magic passed new legislation giving itself an unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

' "The Minister has been growing uneasy about goings-on at Hogwarts for some time," said Junior Assistant to the Minister, Percy Weasley. "He is now responding to concerns, voiced by anxious parents, who feel the school may be moving in a direction they do not approve of."

'This is not the first time in recent weeks that the Minister, Cornelius Fudge, has used new laws to effect improvements at the wizarding school. As recently as 30th August, Educational Decree Number Twenty-two was passed, to ensure that, in the event of the current Headmaster being unable to provide a candidate for a teaching post, the Ministry should select an appropriate person.

' "That's how Dolores Umbridge came to be appointed to the teaching staff at Hogwarts," said Weasley last night. "Dumbledore couldn't find anyone so the Minister put in Umbridge, and of course, she's been an immediate success - " '

'She's been a WHAT?' another voice said loudly. I looked up, and saw the two Di'Angelos standing at the table. "An immediate success?" Nico made a face. "More like an immediate disappointment."

"Yeah." I sneered. "Like you."

Bianca groaned. "Oh, not again."

"Look, if you two weren't spying on us, maybe-"

"Ahem." Hermione cleared her throat. "May I continue?" All of us nodded.

"-totally revolutionising the teaching of Defence Against the Dark Arts and providing the Minister with on-the-ground feedback about what's really happening at Hogwarts."

'It is this last function that the Ministry has now formalised with the passing of Educational Decree Number Twenty-three, which creates the new position of Hogwarts High Inquisitor.

' "This is an exciting new phase in the Minister's plan to get to grips with what some are calling the falling standards at Hogwarts," said Weasley. "The Inquisitor will have powers to inspect her fellow educators and make sure that they are coming up to scratch. Professor Umbridge has been offered this position in addition to her own teaching post and we are delighted to say that she has accepted."

'The Ministry's new moves have received enthusiastic support from parents of students at Hogwarts.

' "I feel much easier in my mind now that I know Dumbledore is being subjected to fair and objective evaluation," said Mr Lucius Malfoy, 41, speaking from his Wiltshire mansion last night. "Many of us with our children's best interests at heart have been concerned about some of Dumbledore's eccentric decisions in the last few years and are glad to know that the Ministry is keeping an eye on the situation."

'Among those eccentric decisions are undoubtedly the controversial staff appointments previously described in this newspaper, which have included the employment of werewolf Remus Lupin, half-giant Rubeus Hagrid and delusional ex-Auror, "Mad-Eye" Moody.

'Rumours abound, of course, that Albus Dumbledore, once Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, is no longer up to the task of managing the prestigious school of Hogwarts.

' "I think the appointment of the Inquisitor is a first step towards ensuring that Hogwarts has a headmaster in whom we can all repose our confidence," said a Ministry insider last night.

'Wizengamot elders Griselda Marchbanks and Tiberius Ogden have resigned in protest at the introduction of the post of Inquisitor to Hogwarts.

' "Hogwarts is a school, not an outpost of Cornelius Fudge's office," said Madam Marchbanks. "This is a further, disgusting attempt to discredit Albus Dumbledore."

'(For a full account of Madam Marchbanks's alleged links to subversive goblin groups, turn to page seventeen.)'

Hermione finished reading and looked across the table at the rest of us.

"Wow." Di'Angelo Jr. rolled his eyes. "I'm _sooooo_ surprised things turned out this way."

"Yeah." I glared at Di'Angelo. "Me too."

"Will you two knock it off already?" Hermione asked exasperatedly. "Dumbledore has his reasons, and he wants you two to get along." She gestured at the newspaper. "Besides, with the things that have been going on, I think we best be on our guard. I can't believe this! This is outrageous!"

Nico rolled his eyes. "No duh." His expression turned somber. "But from this point on, Hermione's right. We need to watch our backs. The enemies are all around us, and there's nothing we can do about it." He then stood and stretched. "And by the way, we're late for our first lesson."

The Gryffindors swore and hastily left the table.

Nico smirked at their hurried expressions, before he too left the table.

-0-0-0-0-

'I have awarded you the grades you would have received if you presented this work in your OWL,' said Snape with a smirk, as he swept among them, passing back their homework. 'This should give you a realistic idea of what to expect in the examination.'

Snape reached the front of the class and turned on his heel to face them.

The general standard of this homework was abysmal. Most of you would have failed had this been your examination. I expect to see a great deal more effort for this week's essay on the various varieties of venom antidotes, or I shall have to start handing out detentions to those dunces who get a "D".'

He smirked as Malfoy sniggered and said in a carrying whisper, 'Some people got a "D"? Ha!'

Bianca rolled her eyes, staring at the large 'T' that adorned her paper. "Meh." She sighed. "Not that I care." She looked to her brother, who also had a large 'T' adorning his paper. "I see you've got one too."

"Shut up." He scowled, before leaning back. "You're just as bad as I am."

"Di'Angelo!" Both heads turned lazily towards Snape.

"Yeah?"

Snape sneered. "Since you 2 were the only ones that scored a 'T'," Nico and Bianca high fived. "Stay behind after class." He waved his hand curtly. "Class dismissed."

Nico yawned as the class spilled out into the corridors. "Meh." He repeated, as Snape slammed the door behind him.

-0-0-0-0-

Divination came too quickly for my tastes.

"Think of a dream, quick," Harry told me, "in case the old toad comes our way."

"I did it last time," I protested, "it's your turn, you tell me one."

'Oh, I dunno . . .' said Harry desperately. 'Let's say I dreamed I was . . . drowning Snape in my cauldron. Yeah, that'll do . . .'

I chortled as I opened my Dream Oracle.

'OK, we've got to add your age to the date you had the dream, the number of letters in the subject . . . would that be "drowning" or "cauldron" or "Snape"?'

'It doesn't matter, pick any of them.' said Harry, chancing a glance behind him. Professor Umbridge was now standing at Professor Trelawney's shoulder making notes while the Divination teacher questioned Neville about his dream diary.

'What night did you dream this again?' I asked, immersed in calculations. "Oh whatever, I'll just make it up."

The siblings sighed. "You can't make up dreams, y'know." Bianca rolled her eyes. "Dreams have power."

I snorted. "Yeah right."

We were cut off by the toad. 'Of course,' she said sweetly. 'Well, if you could just predict something for me, then?' And she looked up enquiringly, still smiling.

The Di'Angelos froze.

Professor Trelawney stiffened as though unable to believe her ears. 'I don't understand you,' she said, clutching convulsively at the shawl around her scrawny neck.

'I'd like you to make a prediction for me,' said Professor Umbridge very clearly.

Harry and Ron were not the only people now watching and listening sneakily from behind their books. Most of the class were staring transfixed at Professor Trelawney as she drew herself up to her lull height, her beads and bangles clinking.

The Inner Eye does not See upon command!' she said in scandalised tones.

'I see,' said Professor Umbridge softly, making yet another note on her clipboard.

'I - but - but . . . wait!' said Professor Trelawney suddenly, in an attempt at her usual ethereal voice, though the mystical effect was ruined somewhat by the way it was shaking with anger. 'I . . . I think I do see something . . . something that concerns you . . . why, I sense something . . . something dark . . . some grave peril . . .'

Professor Trelawney pointed a shaking finger at Professor Umbridge who continued to smile blandly at her, eyebrows raised.

'I am afraid . . . I am afraid that you are in grave danger!' Professor Trelawney finished dramatically.

There was a pause. Professor Umbridge surveyed Professor Trelawney.

"Is that all?" She raised an eyebrow.

Trelawney didn't reply, as her body stiffened. Her mouth opened and green smoke poured out. The Di'Angelos (along with everyone else in the class) gasped. She spoke, but the voice wasn't hers.

_"Land of Magic lives and breathes,_

_To put a stop to the Dark Lord's deeds,_

_Children of Three, journey east,_

_To see the one returned from sleep._

_Death and Anger – hand in hand,_

_Love and Secrets can they withstand?_

_Even the greatest will have to fall,_

_Traitor or Hero, better than all?_

_Child of darkness's final breath,_

_Securing a place for endless death,_

_The Boy who Lived 's final stand,_

_To live or die, by whose hand?"_

Trelawney then collapsed as the last word left her lips.

Nico face-palmed. "Great, as if one Rachel isn't enough."


End file.
